Good Afternoon all,
I tried to upload photos today, but unfortunately I keep running into some sort of internal error. I will try to upload photos again during my lunch break.
Today I want to recommend the following articles. First, I found it hilarious, and awesome that Watermelon (yes, I said WATERMELON) may have Viagra Effects. Apparently, Watermelon has an effect on the blood vessels that is similar to Viagra. The benefits? Well, for one thing, Watermelon is an all natural product. Of course, since it's not a drug, the effect is likely to be less potent, but isn't it nice to know you can sit down on July 4th, enjoying a traditional American pasttime, and then be more ready to have some excitement with your loved one?
Secondly, being an Idahoan, and having an Aunt who loves dressage, I couldn't help but enter the article about Debbie McDonald. She just recently became the second Idahoan to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. Way to go Debbie. :)
And, lastly, I'd like to point out the article about pine oil. This article claims that Ticks and Mosquitos may be warded off by a product made from pine oil MORE EFFECTIVELY than by using DEET (tm). It's good to know that yet another natural product is out there.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy today's posts! :)
Today's Top 5:
1. Watermelon May Have Viagra Effect (Eurekalert.org)
2. UN: US Aid Arrives in North Korea (Yahoo News)
3. 9 Young Hikers Rescued from Western N.Y. Gorge (Pocono Record)
4. Tick And Mosquito Repellent Can Be Made Commercially From Pine Oil (Science Daily)
5. Wales: Recycling Revolution for Your Food Waste (Wales Online)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Researchers are First to Simulate the Binding of Molecules to a Protein (Physorg.com)
2. Second Idahoan Qualifies for Beijing Olympics (Idaho Statesman)
Today's Top 5:
1. Watermelon May Have Viagra-effect
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/tau--wmh063008.php
Public release date: 30-Jun-2008
Contact: Dr. Bhimu Patil
BPatil@ag.tamu.edu
979-458-8090
Texas A&M University - Agricultural Communications
COLLEGE STATION -- A cold slice of watermelon has long been a Fourth of July holiday staple. But according to recent studies, the juicy fruit may be better suited for Valentine's Day.
That's because scientists say watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body's blood vessels and may even increase libido.
"The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body," said Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station.
"We've always known that watermelon is good for you, but the list of its very important healthful benefits grows longer with each study."
Beneficial ingredients in watermelon and other fruits and vegetables are known as phyto-nutrients, naturally occurring compounds that are bioactive, or able to react with the human body to trigger healthy reactions, Patil said.
In watermelons, these include lycopene, beta carotene and the rising star among its phyto-nutrients – citrulline – whose beneficial functions are now being unraveled. Among them is the ability to relax blood vessels, much like Viagra does.
Scientists know that when watermelon is consumed, citrulline is converted to arginine through certain enzymes. Arginine is an amino acid that works wonders on the heart and circulation system and maintains a good immune system, Patil said.
"The citrulline-arginine relationship helps heart health, the immune system and may prove to be very helpful for those who suffer from obesity and type 2 diabetes," said Patil. "Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it."
While there are many psychological and physiological problems that can cause impotence, extra nitric oxide could help those who need increased blood flow, which would also help treat angina, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.
"Watermelon may not be as organ specific as Viagra," Patil said, "but it's a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side-effects."
The benefits of watermelon don't end there, he said. Arginine also helps the urea cycle by removing ammonia and other toxic compounds from our bodies.
Citrulline, the precursor to arginine, is found in higher concentrations in the rind of watermelons than the flesh. As the rind is not commonly eaten, two of Patil's fellow scientists, drs. Steve King and Hae Jeen Bang, are working to breed new varieties with higher concentrations in the flesh.
In addition to the research by Texas A&M, watermelon's phyto-nutrients are being studied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service in Lane, Oklahoma.
As an added bonus, these studies have also shown that deep red varieties of watermelon have displaced the tomato as the lycopene king, Patil said. Almost 92 percent of watermelon is water, but the remaining 8 percent is loaded with lycopene, an anti-oxidant that protects the human heart, prostate and skin health.
"Lycopene, which is also found in red grapefruit, was historically thought to exist only in tomatoes," he said. "But now we know that it's found in higher concentrations in red watermelon varieties."
Lycopene, however, is fat-soluble, meaning that it needs certain fats in the blood for better absorption by the body, Patil said.
"Previous tests have shown that lycopene is much better absorbed from tomatoes when mixed in a salad with oily vegetables like avocado or spinach," Patil said. "That would also apply to the lycopene from watermelon, but I realize mixing watermelon with spinach or avocadoes is a very hard sell."
No studies have been conducted to determine the timing of the consumption of oily vegetables to improve lycopene absorption, he said.
"One final bit of advice for those Fourth of July watermelons you buy," Patil said. "They store much better uncut if you leave them at room temperature. Lycopene levels can be maintained even as it sits on your kitchen floor. But once you cut it, refrigerate. And enjoy."
2. UN: US Aid Arrives in North Korea
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080630/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_us_aid
By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jun 30, 1:43 PM ET
SEOUL, South Korea - Thousands of tons of food from the U.S. has started flowing into North Korea, the U.N. food agency said Monday, as aid groups warned that the impoverished nation faces food shortages not seen since 2001.
A freighter carrying 37,000 tons of wheat arrived Sunday night after North Korea agreed to open up to greatly expanded international aid. The shipment was the first installment of 500,000 tons in assistance promised by Washington, the World Food Program said.
The aid, however, was not directly related to the ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang. U.S. officials have repeatedly said they do not use food for diplomatic coercion.
The shipment arrived just days after the North delivered an atomic declaration and blew up the cooling tower at its main reactor site, in a sign of its commitment not to make more plutonium for bombs.
In exchange, the U.S. lifted some economic sanctions and said it would remove the country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism.
State Department spokesman Tom Casey said there was "zero linkage" between progress on nuclear talks and the food delivery's timing. He said the U.S. has spent months working with the WFP to make sure food delivery could be properly monitored.
"We do not link food assistance, whether that's to North Korea or Zimbabwe or any other country, to political considerations. We do that based on humanitarian concerns," Casey said.
Sunday's wheat shipment will be enough for the WFP to expand its operations to feed more than 5 million people, up from 1.2 million people now getting international aid. The WFP hopes to start distributing the U.S.-provided food within two weeks.
U.N. agencies are conducting a food survey expected to be completed in mid-July to determine where to distribute the aid, but the WFP said preliminary reports "indicate a high level of food insecurity."
The country's regular annual shortages were expected to worsen because of floods last summer that devastated the agricultural heartland. The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization has said North Korea's cereal crop will fall more than 1.5 million tons short this year, the largest food deficit since 2001.
Prices at the country's limited markets — where North Koreans who can afford it shop when public rations fall short — have skyrocketed due to shortages.
"Even if the situation is not dramatic right now, it could continue to deteriorate in the months to come so that's why we need to address the situation as quickly as possible," Jean-Pierre de Margerie, the WFP's North Korea country director, told The Associated Press from Pyongyang.
De Margerie said observers had not yet seen evidence of a renewed famine. The North's food shortages in the 1990s — after it lost Soviet aid and poor harvests due to natural disasters and mismanaged farming — are believed to have killed as many as 2 million people.
The North has long bristled at the monitoring requirements of international donors to make sure that the food reaches the needy. In 2005, the government sharply scaled back what foreign aid it would allow and requested only development assistance, saying there was no longer an emergency situation.
Pyongyang agreed to the new aid program Friday, the WFP said, the same day Pyongyang blew up the reactor tower.
The new aid agreement marks a return by the WFP to its earlier levels of assistance, but also with greater access to parts of the country where the agency has not previously worked, de Margerie said.
American relief groups will distribute 100,000 tons of the food in two northwestern provinces, and the WFP the rest.
North Korea also has allowed the WFP to send some 50 more international workers to the country for monitoring, its largest staff presence since starting operations there in 1996.
The U.S. is the largest donor to the WFP's current aid program in North Korea, having pledged $38.9 million.
3. 9 Young Hikers Rescued from Western N.Y. Gorge
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/NEWS/80630007/-1/rss01
June 30, 2008
OTTO, N.Y. (AP) -- Nine young hikers were rescued by helicopter from a western New York gorge Monday morning after they were forced to spend the night on a rock ledge because of rising creek waters.
State police Sgt. Thomas Kelly said an Erie County sheriff's helicopter plucked the hikers, ages 17 to 21, from a ledge about 20 feet above the rain-swollen Cattaraugus Creek in the Zoar Valley. The ledge was about 150 below the lip of the gorge, he said.
The helicopter made several trips to take the hikers out two at a time between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., Kelly said.
He said the group from suburban Buffalo was hiking Sunday when rising waters from heavy rainfall cut off their access to a trail leading out of the gorge, a popular hiking area located along the Erie-Cattaraugus county line 30 miles south of Buffalo.
Heavy rains fell Sunday across western New York. When that happens, water levels in the gorge "can rise 3-4 feet quite quickly," Kelly said.
Attempts to reach the group Sunday night were hampered by fog and darkness, and the rescue effort was put off until daylight, he said.
The group included three women and six men from Kenmore, Tonawanda and Williamsville.
The hikers, dressed in T-shirts and shorts, called 911 around 8 p.m. Sunday to report they were trapped in the gorge, Kelly said. Overnight temperatures dipped to the high 50s.
All nine were taken to Tri-County Hospital in Gowanda to be checked out, Kelly said.
4. Tick And Mosquito Repellent Can Be Made Commercially From Pine Oil
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629080038.htm
ScienceDaily
June 30, 2008
A naturally-occurring compound prepared from pine oil that seems to deter mosquito biting and repels two kinds of ticks has been found by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.
A patent* was issued on May 27 for the compound, isolongifolenone, and partners are being sought to bring this technology to commercial production.
In laboratory tests, ARS chemist Aijun Zhang in the Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville, Md., and his colleagues discovered that the naturally occurring compound deters the biting of mosquitoes more effectively than the widely used synthetic chemical repellent DEET. The compound also repelled two kinds of ticks as effectively as DEET.
Insect repellents are used widely to prevent bites from mosquitoes, sand flies, ticks and other arthropods. For the most part, people apply repellents just to avoid discomfort, but there is a more serious side to the use of these products. Human diseases caused by blood-feeding ticks and mosquitoes represent a serious threat to public health worldwide.
Malaria is the chief threat, killing approximately two million people per year and threatening billions. Other diseases include dengue fever, chikungunya, Lyme disease and typhus. Some segments of the public perceive efficient synthetic active ingredients as somehow more dangerous than botanical compounds, giving additional importance to the discovery of plant-based isolongifolenone.
Zhang's team also developed an easy and efficient method to prepare this repellent. Many natural-product chemicals isolated from plants and essential oils have proven to have repellent effects. Most often, such compounds never attain commercial development and their use is limited or impractical because they are expensive and not available in pure and large quantities.
In contrast, this newly-discovered repellent can be prepared inexpensively from pine oil feedstock in ton quantities for large-scale commercial applications, giving it a significant advantage over many of the other natural-product repellent chemicals.
*Patent number: US 7,378,557 B1
Adapted from materials provided by USDA/Agricultural Research Service.
5. Wales: Recycling Revolution for Your Food Waste
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/30/recycling-revolution-for-your-food-waste-91466-21171182/
Jun 30 2008 by David James, South Wales Echo
PLANS to recycle leftover food will turn Cardiff into the “best recycling city in the UK”, the council claimed today.
The city council is planning to become one of the first cities in the UK to bring in weekly food waste recycling.
Residents will be asked to collect all food waste, from potato skins to chicken bones, and set it aside for collection once a week.
But there were immediate concerns raised about the scheme after similar proposals elsewhere led to a series of complaints about hygiene.
The weekly collections are a key part of the council’s hope of hitting the Assembly Government’s target of recycling 40% of all waste by 2010.
The city’s executive member for the environment, Margaret Jones, said every household in the city would receive a small plastic caddy and a supply of bio-degradeable bags.
She said: “It’s a brave move. We are leading the way.
“Every household will be given a kitchen caddy and small biodegradable bags for all their food waste free of charge.”
Several South Wales councils are carrying out trials of food waste collections in certain areas, including Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.
But Coun Jones said Cardiff would become the first city to introduce a collection service for all residents.
Merthyr Tydfil council introduced a similar food waste recycling scheme last year.
But John Morgan, 57, of Castle Park, said: “During the hot weather we had flies and awful smells. You can wash it out but you’ve still got the flies coming.
“I stopped using it after five weeks because it got so bad. It’s completely unhygienic.”
And photographer Rob Norman, of Magor, noticed a surge in rats when Monmouthshire council introduced an optional scheme.
He said: “You’re supposed to scrape everything in but it stinks. A couple of times we’ve opened it and there have been maggots inside.
“There are no bags so when the blokes come and chuck it in the lorry it doesn’t empty completely.
“We’ve had a rat in the garden and the guy who came to sort it out said there had been many more since the blue box scheme was introduced. He said we might as well serve the food on a plate to them.”
Unlike Monmouthshire, Cardiff’s scheme will use bags inside the caddies.
Food waste recycling is widely seen as the only way for councils across the UK to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill but there are concerns about the cost of collections and how willing residents will be to use the system.
Coun Jones said the biodegradable bags provided would be small enough for a single family meal and would be collected weekly with garden waste, which is currently collected fortnightly.
She said the council did not anticipate problems integrating the increased pick-ups into the city’s current recycling collection systems.
Unemployed Brian Watkins, 26, of Roath, Cardiff, welcomed the introduction of a scheme in the capital.
He said: “It’s a good idea but there needs to be some sort of control to avoid the smells and hygiene issues.
“Rats are here anyway so I don’t think it’s any more of a concern than with black bags.”
The waste collected will be composted at a dedicated recycling centre, called an in-vessel composting system, which will be built at the Lamby Way landfill and run alongside the existing windrow system for composting garden waste.
Coun Jones estimated that if the system was well used, it would help lift the council’s recycling rate to 10%.
All residents in Cardiff will be able to recycle food waste from October 10.
Everyone living in the city will be given a new ‘mini bin’ and asked to put out their leftovers for weekly collections.
But hygiene fears have been raised after residents in areas with similar schemes claimed the bags attracted rats and maggots.
david.james@mediawales.co.uk
What do you think? Email echo.newsdesk@mediawales.co.uk or call us on 029 2058 3622
Honorable Mentions:
1. Researchers are First to Simulate the Binding of Molecules to a Protein
http://www.physorg.com/news134064683.html
30 June 2008
View of the ATP/ADP carrier from the cytoplasm, with the ADP molecule (blue, aqua, red and white spheres) at the entrance, ready to be funneled into the carrier. Image courtesy of Emad Tajkhorshid and Yi Wang, U. of I.
You may not know what it is, but you burn more than your body weight of it every day. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a tiny molecule that packs a powerful punch, is the primary energy source for most of your cellular functions.
Now researchers at the University of Illinois have identified a key step in the cellular recycling of ATP that allows your body to produce enough of it to survive. Without this cycling of ATP and its low-energy counterpart, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), into and out of the mitochondrion, where ADP is converted into ATP, life as we know it would end.
Researchers have for the first time simulated the binding of ADP to a carrier protein lodged in the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. It is the first simulation of the binding of a molecule to a protein. Their findings appear this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
As its name indicates, ATP contains three phosphate groups. The energy produced when one of these groups is detached from the molecule drives many chemical reactions in the cell. This process also yields ADP, which must go through the ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) to get into the mitochondrion to be converted back into ATP.
The AAC acts a lot like a revolving door: For each molecule of ADP going into the mitochondrion, one ATP gets booted out. These two activities are not simultaneous, however. The carrier is either shuttling ADP into the mitochondrion or ejecting ATP into the wider environment of the cell, where it can be put to use.
"The carrier is a reversible machine," said biochemistry professor Emad Tajkhorshid, who led the study which was conducted by biophysics graduate student Yi Wang. "Both ATP and ADP can bind to it and make it to the other side using this transporter."
Previous studies used X-ray crystallography to determine the three-dimensional structure of the carrier when it was ready to accept a molecule of ADP.
In the new analysis, the researchers developed a computer simulation of the interaction of a single molecule of ADP with the carrier protein. Thanks to better simulation software and larger and more sophisticated computer arrays than were available for previous studies, this simulation tracked the process by which ADP is drawn into the carrier. It also showed how ADP orients itself as it travels to the site where it binds to the carrier. (See movie.)
In the simulation, the researchers observed for the first time that ADP disrupts several ionic bonds, called salt bridges, when it binds to the carrier protein. Breaking the salt bridges allows the protein to open – in effect unlocking the door that otherwise blocks ADP's route into the mitochondrion.
The simulation included every atom of the carrier protein and ADP, as well as all of the membrane lipids and water molecules that make up their immediate environment – more than 100,000 atoms in all. It tracked the interaction over a period of 0.1 microseconds, an order of magnitude longer than what had been possible before. "Until two years ago 10 nanoseconds was really pushing it," Tajkhorshid said. "Now we are reaching the sub-microsecond regime, and that's why we are seeing more biologically relevant events in our simulations."
The longer time frame meant that the researchers did not need to manipulate the interaction between the molecules. They simply positioned the ADP at the mouth of the carrier protein, some 25 angstroms from the site where they knew it was meant to bind. (An angstrom is one ten-millionth of a meter. Most molecular binding interactions occur at less than 6 or 7 angstroms.) They even placed the ADP upside-down at the mouth of the protein carrier and saw it flip into an orientation that allowed it to bind to the carrier.
The identified binding pocket for ADP explained a lot of known experimental data, and revealed an unusual feature of the carrier protein: Its binding site and the entryway leading to it had an extremely positive electrical charge.
It had a much greater positive charge than any known protein transporter.
This positive charge appears to serve two functions, Tajkhorshid said. First, it allows the protein carrier itself to nestle tightly in the mitochondrial membrane, which contains a lot of negatively charged lipids. Second, it strongly attracts ADP, which carries a negative charge. More interestingly, through a bioinformatics analysis the researchers show that this unusual electrostatic feature is common to all mitochondrial carriers.
Other negatively charged ions can enter the carrier, Tajkhorshid said, but only a molecule with at least two phosphate groups can disrupt the salt bridges to activate it.
This simulation marks the first time that researchers have been able to describe in molecular detail how a protein binds to the molecule that activates it, Tajkhorshid said.
The findings shed light on a fundamental physiological process, he said.
"Any time you move anything in your body, you use ATP," he said. "Many enzymatic reactions also require ATP. In the central nervous system, the transport of hormones, neurotransmitters or other molecules, these are all ATP-dependent."
"It has been estimated that you burn more than your body weight in ATP every day," he said. "So that's how much ATP you have to carry across the inner mitochondrial membrane every day – through this guy."
Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2. Second Idahoan Qualifies for Beijing Olympics; One More Shoots for Roster Spot Monday Night
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/429370.html
Staff and wire reports - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 06/30/08
Debbie McDonald of Hailey and her 17-year-old Hanoverian mare Brentina, one of the top dressage teams in United States history, are headed to Beijing for their second straight Olympic appearance.
McDonald finished second Sunday at the USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championships in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
In August, she will return to an Olympic venue, where she helped the Americans win a team bronze at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. She finished fourth in the individual competition.
McDonald is the second Idahoan to qualify for the Beijing Games. Boise cyclist Kristin Armstrong, a former world and national champion, qualified last summer and will be a medal-contending rider in August. She finished eighth in the Athens road race in 2004.
Steffen Peters of San Diego, Courtney King of New Milford, Conn., and Leslie Morse, of Beverly Hills, Calif., also earned Olympic berths in dressage Sunday. Peters and King believe the United States has a good chance to win a medal.
“In an Olympic year, everything is a little unpredictable,” Peters said. “Germany and Holland are very strong, but let’s not forget that New England didn’t win the Super Bowl and Big Brown didn’t win the Triple Crown.”
Added King: “There’s going to be a real fight for the bronze medal. The Danish can be pretty strong. The British can be pretty strong. We can be pretty strong. Steffen said, ’Yeah, that’s why we have to go for silver.’ “
Dressage is a series of sequential skills that trains a horse for riding by developing its athletic and performance abilities. It entered the Olympics at the 1912 Stockholm Games.
SYMMONDS RUNS MONDAY NIGHT
Bishop Kelly High graduate Nick Symmonds will run Monday night for his chance to land a spot on the Beijing team. He is in the finals of the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Symmonds can qualify by finishing in the top three.
The final is scheduled to start at 9:25 p.m. MDT. Two-hour television coverage on the USA Network begins at 9:05 p.m.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
2008: June 29th Good News (Accidental Fungus Leads to Promising Cancer Drug; Heroic Neighbors Save Children from Burning Apartment; more...)
Good Evening all,
I have to update this later. It's been a busy day. Here's what I have so far. Hope you enjoy! :)
Today's Top 5:
1. Accidental Fungus Leads to Promising Cancer Drug (Yahoo News)
2. Cloths Absorb Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs (Inventorspot.com)
3. Public Invited to See 500 Year Old Artifacts ( The News Herald)
4. "First" in Solar Heater Mandate is Reason for Pride in Hawaii (Honolulu Star Bulletin)
5. The Baby Docs Said was Dead After Ultrasound Blunder (Daily Mirror UK)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Heroic Neighbors Save Children from Burning Apartment (KHQ-Q6 News)
2. Algae From the Ocean May Offer a Sustainable Energy Source of the Future (Science Daily)
Today's Top 5:
1. Accidental Fungus Leads to Promising Cancer Drug
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080629/ts_nm/cancer_nanoparticles_dc
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
8 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drug developed using nanotechnology and a fungus that contaminated a lab experiment may be broadly effective against a range of cancers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.
The drug, called lodamin, was improved in one of the last experiments overseen by Dr. Judah Folkman, a cancer researcher who died in January. Folkman pioneered the idea of angiogenesis therapy -- starving tumors by preventing them from growing blood supplies.
Lodamin is an angiogenesis inhibitor that Folkman's team has been working to perfect for 20 years. Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, his colleagues say they developed a formulation that works as a pill, without side-effects.
They have licensed it to SynDevRx, Inc, a privately held Cambridge, Massachusetts biotechnology company that has recruited several prominent cancer experts to its board.
Tests in mice showed it worked against a range of tumors, including breast cancer, neuroblastoma, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, brain tumors known as glioblastomas and uterine tumors.
It helped stop so-called primary tumors and also prevented their spread, Ofra Benny of Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School and colleagues reported.
"Using the oral route of administration, it first reaches the liver, making it especially efficient in preventing the development of liver metastasis in mice," they wrote in their report. "Liver metastasis is very common in many tumor types and is often associated with a poor prognosis and survival rate," they added.
'ALMOST CLEAN' LIVERS
"When I looked at the livers of the mice, the treated group was almost clean," Benny said in a statement. "In the control group you couldn't recognize the livers -- they were a mass of tumors."
The drug was known experimentally as TNP-470, and was originally isolated from a fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus fresenius.
Harvards's Donald Ingber discovered the fungus by accident while trying to grow endothelial cells -- the cells that line blood vessels. The mold affected the cells in a way known to prevent the growth of tiny blood vessels known as capillaries.
Ingber and Folkman developed TNP-470 with the help of Takeda Chemical Industries in Japan in 1990.
But the drug affected the brain, causing depression, dizziness and other side-effects. It also did not stay in the body long and required constant infusions. The lab dropped it.
Efforts to improve it did not work well. Then Benny and colleagues tried nanotechnology, attaching two "pom-pom"-shaped polymers to TNP-470, protecting it from stomach acid.
In mice, the altered drug, now named lodamin, went straight to tumor cells and helped suppress melanoma and lung cancer, with no apparent side effects, Benny said.
All untreated mice had fluid in the abdominal cavity, and enlarged livers covered with tumors. Mice treated with lodamin had normal-looking livers and spleens, the researchers said.
Twenty days after being injected with cancer cells, four out of seven untreated mice had died, while all treated mice were still alive, Benny's team reported.
"I had never expected such a strong effect on these aggressive tumor models," she said. The researchers believe lodamin may also be useful in other diseases marked by abnormal blood vessel growth, such as age-related macular degeneration.
(Editing by Todd Eastham)
2. Cloths Absorb Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs
http://inventorspot.com/articles/researchers_discover_material_absorbs_mercury_broken_fluorescent_15116
Posted June 29th, 2008
By Lisa Zyga
As more households are turning to fluorescent light bulbs for energy-efficient lighting, some people have been worried about the dangers of the mercury that is released into the air when a bulb breaks.
The 3-5 milligrams of mercury vapor inside the bulbs can pose minor health risks to small children and other susceptible individuals, and the area with the broken bulb needs to be carefully and thoroughly cleaned.
Recently, researchers at Brown University have discovered that a material called nanoselenium absorbs about 99% of mercury vapor. Based on this finding, the team has been creating prototypes of mercury-absorbent cloths and packaging that would make it much easier and safer to clean up broken bulbs.
As Engineering Professor Robert Hurt explains, when the selenium atoms bond with the mercury atoms, they form mercury selenide, which is a stable, benign nanoparticle compound. The mercury selenide could be safely discarded and recycled, without contamination or other environmental consequences.
One of the prototypes the researchers developed is a nanoselenium-coated cloth, encompassed by two exterior layers, that would hold the light bulbs in the box, and fully absorb the mercury if one should break during shipping and handling.
An extra cloth could also be included in the packaging, so that if a bulb should break when being screwed in, for example, people could simply lay the cloth on the spot where the bulb broke. The nanoselenium can absorb mercury on carpets, wood floors, and other surfaces.
Because the material is so effective, only a small amount is needed to capture the mercury vapor, making the researchers hope that the cloths could be relatively inexpensive.
"More work is needed," Hurt said, "but this appears to be an inexpensive solution that can remove most of the safety concerns associated with CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs."
via: Brown University
3. Public Invited to See 500-year-old Artifacts
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=9039897047310103297&postID=5379989638942367583
BY SHARON McBRAYER
smcbrayer@morganton.com
Sunday, June 29, 2008
MORGANTON - People gathered around a woman and shouts of "hey, hey, hey" went up at the Berry archeological site on Thursday.
David Moore, lead archeologist at the site, was standing about 75 yards away. When he heard the shouts, he made his way over to the group.
What got the crowd excited was a find by Jeane Jones, of Dalton, Ga., of a tiny blue Spanish glass bead believed left behind from the first European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States.
It was the second glass bead found last week. One man found a piece of metal believed to be from the same era.
On July 12, the public will get a chance to take a look at the glass beads and other artifacts found at the site, as well as observe archaeologists at work. Archaeologists will be on hand to discuss the site and lead tours. Primitive skills experts also will demonstrate how native people crafted their weapons and tools.
Warren Wilson College and Western Piedmont Community College Archaeology Field School is sponsoring the open house.
The site will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 12. Admission is free.
Archaeologists believe the Berry site to be the location of the native town of Joara, at which the Spaniard Juan Pardo built Fort San Juan in 1567, 20 years before the "Lost Colony," according to information from field school.
The site is also believed to represent an ancestral Catawba Indian town.
The archaeology field school has concentrated on a one-acre area where 16th century Spanish artifacts and the remains of five burned buildings have been located. Archaeologists believe these burned structures may represent the remains of the Spanish compound, Fort San Juan.
For Jones, working at the Berry site and finding an artifact was thrilling. She and her husband, Walter, signed up to work for a week on the site. The couple has a summer home at Montreat in Black Mountain and kept hearing about the dig. She was screening dirt from an area where a compound structure once stood when she found the bead.
Moore said the Spanish used beads to trade with the natives. But Juan Pardo's group wasn't on a trade mission. They were on a work mission, Moore said.
The mission, Moore said, was to go from the east coast of the U.S. to Mexico, pacifying natives along the route, in order to build a road so silver could be transported from Mexico.
The fort in what is now Burke County was sacked and its buildings burned after relations between the Spaniards and natives soured, according to information from the school.
The site is located on Henderson Mill Road. To get there from downtown Morganton, take Green Street, which turns into N.C. 181. From the Kmart plaza, continue north on N.C. 181 4.1 miles to Goodman Lake Road on the right. Take Goodman Lake Road to the end (1.6 miles) and turn right on Henderson Mill Road. Follow Henderson Mill Road 1.9 miles to the Berry site. Turn right and follow parking signs.
4. ‘First’ in Solar-heater Mandate is Reason for Pride in Hawaii
http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/29/editorial/editorial01.html
29 June, 2008
THE ISSUE
The governor has signed into law a bill requiring developers to install solar water heaters in new homes.
The 50th state is the first in the nation to require solar water heaters to be installed on new single-family homes, which certainly would seem logical to the rest of the country.
In fact, residents of the other 49 would have reason to ask why the state with such plentiful sunshine took so long to adopt the renewable resource for a basic advantage.
It's not for lack of trying. Lawmakers have entertained the idea for five years since Kauai Sen. Gary Hooser first introduced legislation. Environmental organizations, principally the Sierra Club of Hawaii, have been lobbying long and hard at the state Capitol to get enough support, tweaking and amending the measure to win acceptance.
But at least some of the success of the bill, which Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law this week, is due to the economics of oil. When Hooser proposed the bill, oil was selling at $40 a barrel. On Friday afternoon, a barrel traded at an incredible $142.
With Hawaii owning the dubious national distinction of paying the most for electricity -- with the ever-soaring fuel surcharges making up nearly half of the tab -- using the sun to heat water makes sense. Solar devices will cut an estimated $40 to $60 in power costs for a family of four or about 30 percent of a homeowner's monthly bill.
Not everyone is pleased, however. The Building Industry Association of Hawaii, representing developers and contractors, complained the law will increase home prices, but buyers will recoup the difference within a few years and save in the long run because electricity costs will continue to go up. Some smart homebuilders, recognizing consumers' desire for renewable energy systems, already include solar water heaters on their residential units.
Gov. Lingle believes the new law will eliminate state tax credits for older homes, but the bill clearly states that homes that were issued building permits -- which were necessary to put up the houses -- before January 2010, when the law takes effect, can still claim the credit.
Solar water heaters make sense for the island and for the environment. Hawaii should be proud of leading the way.
5. The Baby Docs Said was Dead After Ultrasound Blunder
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/06/28/exclusive-the-baby-docs-said-was-dead-after-ultrasound-blunder-89520-20623898/
By Jeremy Armstrong 28/06/2008
Little Leona-Lee Gray has defied all the odds - after her parents were told she had died following a hospital ultrasound blunder.
And yesterday proud mum Catherine Kent and dad Kevin Gray cuddled her and admitted: "She is our little miracle."
Seven weeks into her pregnancy Catherine, 27, who had suffered a miscarriage two years earlier, was told her baby was dead.
She was offered drugs or surgery to remove the foetus, but chose to wait for a miscarriage to happen naturally - a decision that saved Leona-Lee's life. She said: "My instincts were telling me something was wrong - I had the morning sickness and felt pregnant.
"I went back to Sunderland General Hospital and told them my concerns.
"I had another ultrasound. When I looked at the screen, I could make out a shape swimming about in the black and white lines. My baby was alive."
Six months on, Leona-Lee Gray was born weighing a healthy 6 lbs 9 oz and is now settling in at the family home in Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham.
Her parents say she is the "spitting image" of big sister Chanelle, seven, and brother Kane, four, is "very excited".
Kevin, 28, said: "The baby is just champion. She is healthy as anything. But because we thought she had died it made the pregnancy a hundred times worse because of the stress."
Catherine shudders to think what might have been. "What if I had taken the tablets they offered me?," she said.
"They could have left my baby severely disabled, or it could have died. They could have aborted my baby while it was alive."
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust has launched an inquiry.
Honorable Mentions:
1.Heroic Neighbors Save Children from Burning Apartment
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=8550979
Posted: June 24, 2008 07:03 PM
Updated: June 27, 2008 01:16 PM
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - A Marine Reservist, a 17-year old teenager and his father are being called heroes after they saved two toddlers from a burning apartment building Tuesday night.
Fire officials say the fire broke out on the second floor of the apartment complex just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, near East 8th Avenue and South Pines.
One mother of two small children, a 2- and 3-year old, was in the shower when she saw smoke coming into the bathroom. She ran to find her kids but the smoke and heat forced her out of the building.
John Higginson, an ex-marine, was across the street at his apartment when he heard a smoke alarm sound and someone screaming, "Someone call 911!" After calling 911 he ran across the street where he heard a woman screaming, "My kids are up there!"
Higginson says he ran to investigate and found 17-year old Alex Suchanek and his father already trying to get into the building.
Suchanek says he'd just finished walking his girlfriend home when he noticed a mass of black smoke outside and heard his neighbor screaming there was a fire, and that her kids were trapped inside. He and his father sprang to action.
The intense heat and smoke inside the building forced the three towards the balcony outside. The marine and the teenager started climbing.
Suchanek broke down an outer door so they could get inside. Then, with a wet towel over his face, using a cell phone as a flashlight, Higginson went into the apartment and found the children by following coughing noises.
Higginson took each child to the balcony where Suchanek was waiting to drop them down to his father below.
Crews say one of the children was not breathing after being rescued, but was resuscitated on-scene and taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center.
One of the children, a girl, is listed in serious condition. The other, a boy, is listed in satisfactory condition. Both are expected to make a full recovery.
When asked what compelled him to risk his life to save the children, Suchanek said, "I was just concerned about the kids. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do something...at least try to help the kids out."
When asked if he was comfortable being called a hero, Higginson chuckled and told reporters, "I served the last ten years in the Marine Corp Reserve. I just got back from Iraq and I still don't accept the title hero for that...I did what anybody should have done, just like Alex."
2.Algae From the Ocean May Offer a Sustainable Energy Source of the Future
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626145543.htm
ScienceDaily
June 28, 2008
Research by two Kansas State University scientists could help with the large-scale cultivation and manufacturing of oil-rich algae in oceans for biofuel.
K-State's Zhijian "Z.J." Pei, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, and Wenqiao "Wayne" Yuan, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, have received a $98,560 Small Grant for Exploratory Research from the National Science Foundation to study solid carriers for manufacturing algae biofuels in the ocean.
Algae are a diverse and simple group of organisms that live in or near water. Certain algal species are high in oil content that could be converted into such fuels as biodiesel, according to Pei and Yuan. Algae also have several environmentally-friendly advantages over corn or other plants used for biofuels, including not needing soil or fresh water to grow.
Pei and Yuan plan to identify attributes of algae and properties of materials that enable growth of certain algae species on solid carriers. Solid carriers float on the water surface for algae to attach to and grow on.
"Not all materials are equally suitable to make these carriers," Yuan said. "Some materials are better for algal attachment and growth than others, and we will be identifying what those 'good' materials are."
The project could help with the design of major equipment for manufacturing algae biofuels from the ocean, including solid carriers, in-the-ocean algae harvesting equipment and oil extraction machines, Pei said.
"This research aims to develop a cost-effective process for growing algae on solid carriers in the ocean for biofuel manufacturing," he said. "If successful, it will greatly benefit the energy security of the United States, as well as society in general."
The research will be conducted with a two-step approach.
"Selected algae species will be grown on solid carriers in a simulated ocean environment and will be evaluated for their ability to attach to solid carriers and grow in seawater, their biomass productivity, and their oil content," Pei said. "Top-ranked species in step one will be selected to test the performance of several carrier materials, including natural organic, synthetic organic and inorganic materials, with the same evaluation parameters as in step one."
Pei said the properties of the highly-ranked carriers also will be analyzed.
Yuan, who has studied biodiesel for several years, said the major problem with making the fuel has been finding sustainable oil and fat sources.
"Algae seems to be the only promising sustainable oil source for biodiesel production," he said. "In my lab, we have several different projects involving algae and we have been trying different ways to grow it. We have already obtained some encouraging results."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adapted from materials provided by Kansas State University, via Newswise.
I have to update this later. It's been a busy day. Here's what I have so far. Hope you enjoy! :)
Today's Top 5:
1. Accidental Fungus Leads to Promising Cancer Drug (Yahoo News)
2. Cloths Absorb Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs (Inventorspot.com)
3. Public Invited to See 500 Year Old Artifacts ( The News Herald)
4. "First" in Solar Heater Mandate is Reason for Pride in Hawaii (Honolulu Star Bulletin)
5. The Baby Docs Said was Dead After Ultrasound Blunder (Daily Mirror UK)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Heroic Neighbors Save Children from Burning Apartment (KHQ-Q6 News)
2. Algae From the Ocean May Offer a Sustainable Energy Source of the Future (Science Daily)
Today's Top 5:
1. Accidental Fungus Leads to Promising Cancer Drug
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080629/ts_nm/cancer_nanoparticles_dc
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
8 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drug developed using nanotechnology and a fungus that contaminated a lab experiment may be broadly effective against a range of cancers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.
The drug, called lodamin, was improved in one of the last experiments overseen by Dr. Judah Folkman, a cancer researcher who died in January. Folkman pioneered the idea of angiogenesis therapy -- starving tumors by preventing them from growing blood supplies.
Lodamin is an angiogenesis inhibitor that Folkman's team has been working to perfect for 20 years. Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, his colleagues say they developed a formulation that works as a pill, without side-effects.
They have licensed it to SynDevRx, Inc, a privately held Cambridge, Massachusetts biotechnology company that has recruited several prominent cancer experts to its board.
Tests in mice showed it worked against a range of tumors, including breast cancer, neuroblastoma, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, brain tumors known as glioblastomas and uterine tumors.
It helped stop so-called primary tumors and also prevented their spread, Ofra Benny of Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School and colleagues reported.
"Using the oral route of administration, it first reaches the liver, making it especially efficient in preventing the development of liver metastasis in mice," they wrote in their report. "Liver metastasis is very common in many tumor types and is often associated with a poor prognosis and survival rate," they added.
'ALMOST CLEAN' LIVERS
"When I looked at the livers of the mice, the treated group was almost clean," Benny said in a statement. "In the control group you couldn't recognize the livers -- they were a mass of tumors."
The drug was known experimentally as TNP-470, and was originally isolated from a fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus fresenius.
Harvards's Donald Ingber discovered the fungus by accident while trying to grow endothelial cells -- the cells that line blood vessels. The mold affected the cells in a way known to prevent the growth of tiny blood vessels known as capillaries.
Ingber and Folkman developed TNP-470 with the help of Takeda Chemical Industries in Japan in 1990.
But the drug affected the brain, causing depression, dizziness and other side-effects. It also did not stay in the body long and required constant infusions. The lab dropped it.
Efforts to improve it did not work well. Then Benny and colleagues tried nanotechnology, attaching two "pom-pom"-shaped polymers to TNP-470, protecting it from stomach acid.
In mice, the altered drug, now named lodamin, went straight to tumor cells and helped suppress melanoma and lung cancer, with no apparent side effects, Benny said.
All untreated mice had fluid in the abdominal cavity, and enlarged livers covered with tumors. Mice treated with lodamin had normal-looking livers and spleens, the researchers said.
Twenty days after being injected with cancer cells, four out of seven untreated mice had died, while all treated mice were still alive, Benny's team reported.
"I had never expected such a strong effect on these aggressive tumor models," she said. The researchers believe lodamin may also be useful in other diseases marked by abnormal blood vessel growth, such as age-related macular degeneration.
(Editing by Todd Eastham)
2. Cloths Absorb Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs
http://inventorspot.com/articles/researchers_discover_material_absorbs_mercury_broken_fluorescent_15116
Posted June 29th, 2008
By Lisa Zyga
As more households are turning to fluorescent light bulbs for energy-efficient lighting, some people have been worried about the dangers of the mercury that is released into the air when a bulb breaks.
The 3-5 milligrams of mercury vapor inside the bulbs can pose minor health risks to small children and other susceptible individuals, and the area with the broken bulb needs to be carefully and thoroughly cleaned.
Recently, researchers at Brown University have discovered that a material called nanoselenium absorbs about 99% of mercury vapor. Based on this finding, the team has been creating prototypes of mercury-absorbent cloths and packaging that would make it much easier and safer to clean up broken bulbs.
As Engineering Professor Robert Hurt explains, when the selenium atoms bond with the mercury atoms, they form mercury selenide, which is a stable, benign nanoparticle compound. The mercury selenide could be safely discarded and recycled, without contamination or other environmental consequences.
One of the prototypes the researchers developed is a nanoselenium-coated cloth, encompassed by two exterior layers, that would hold the light bulbs in the box, and fully absorb the mercury if one should break during shipping and handling.
An extra cloth could also be included in the packaging, so that if a bulb should break when being screwed in, for example, people could simply lay the cloth on the spot where the bulb broke. The nanoselenium can absorb mercury on carpets, wood floors, and other surfaces.
Because the material is so effective, only a small amount is needed to capture the mercury vapor, making the researchers hope that the cloths could be relatively inexpensive.
"More work is needed," Hurt said, "but this appears to be an inexpensive solution that can remove most of the safety concerns associated with CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs."
via: Brown University
3. Public Invited to See 500-year-old Artifacts
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=9039897047310103297&postID=5379989638942367583
BY SHARON McBRAYER
smcbrayer@morganton.com
Sunday, June 29, 2008
MORGANTON - People gathered around a woman and shouts of "hey, hey, hey" went up at the Berry archeological site on Thursday.
David Moore, lead archeologist at the site, was standing about 75 yards away. When he heard the shouts, he made his way over to the group.
What got the crowd excited was a find by Jeane Jones, of Dalton, Ga., of a tiny blue Spanish glass bead believed left behind from the first European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States.
It was the second glass bead found last week. One man found a piece of metal believed to be from the same era.
On July 12, the public will get a chance to take a look at the glass beads and other artifacts found at the site, as well as observe archaeologists at work. Archaeologists will be on hand to discuss the site and lead tours. Primitive skills experts also will demonstrate how native people crafted their weapons and tools.
Warren Wilson College and Western Piedmont Community College Archaeology Field School is sponsoring the open house.
The site will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 12. Admission is free.
Archaeologists believe the Berry site to be the location of the native town of Joara, at which the Spaniard Juan Pardo built Fort San Juan in 1567, 20 years before the "Lost Colony," according to information from field school.
The site is also believed to represent an ancestral Catawba Indian town.
The archaeology field school has concentrated on a one-acre area where 16th century Spanish artifacts and the remains of five burned buildings have been located. Archaeologists believe these burned structures may represent the remains of the Spanish compound, Fort San Juan.
For Jones, working at the Berry site and finding an artifact was thrilling. She and her husband, Walter, signed up to work for a week on the site. The couple has a summer home at Montreat in Black Mountain and kept hearing about the dig. She was screening dirt from an area where a compound structure once stood when she found the bead.
Moore said the Spanish used beads to trade with the natives. But Juan Pardo's group wasn't on a trade mission. They were on a work mission, Moore said.
The mission, Moore said, was to go from the east coast of the U.S. to Mexico, pacifying natives along the route, in order to build a road so silver could be transported from Mexico.
The fort in what is now Burke County was sacked and its buildings burned after relations between the Spaniards and natives soured, according to information from the school.
The site is located on Henderson Mill Road. To get there from downtown Morganton, take Green Street, which turns into N.C. 181. From the Kmart plaza, continue north on N.C. 181 4.1 miles to Goodman Lake Road on the right. Take Goodman Lake Road to the end (1.6 miles) and turn right on Henderson Mill Road. Follow Henderson Mill Road 1.9 miles to the Berry site. Turn right and follow parking signs.
4. ‘First’ in Solar-heater Mandate is Reason for Pride in Hawaii
http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/29/editorial/editorial01.html
29 June, 2008
THE ISSUE
The governor has signed into law a bill requiring developers to install solar water heaters in new homes.
The 50th state is the first in the nation to require solar water heaters to be installed on new single-family homes, which certainly would seem logical to the rest of the country.
In fact, residents of the other 49 would have reason to ask why the state with such plentiful sunshine took so long to adopt the renewable resource for a basic advantage.
It's not for lack of trying. Lawmakers have entertained the idea for five years since Kauai Sen. Gary Hooser first introduced legislation. Environmental organizations, principally the Sierra Club of Hawaii, have been lobbying long and hard at the state Capitol to get enough support, tweaking and amending the measure to win acceptance.
But at least some of the success of the bill, which Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law this week, is due to the economics of oil. When Hooser proposed the bill, oil was selling at $40 a barrel. On Friday afternoon, a barrel traded at an incredible $142.
With Hawaii owning the dubious national distinction of paying the most for electricity -- with the ever-soaring fuel surcharges making up nearly half of the tab -- using the sun to heat water makes sense. Solar devices will cut an estimated $40 to $60 in power costs for a family of four or about 30 percent of a homeowner's monthly bill.
Not everyone is pleased, however. The Building Industry Association of Hawaii, representing developers and contractors, complained the law will increase home prices, but buyers will recoup the difference within a few years and save in the long run because electricity costs will continue to go up. Some smart homebuilders, recognizing consumers' desire for renewable energy systems, already include solar water heaters on their residential units.
Gov. Lingle believes the new law will eliminate state tax credits for older homes, but the bill clearly states that homes that were issued building permits -- which were necessary to put up the houses -- before January 2010, when the law takes effect, can still claim the credit.
Solar water heaters make sense for the island and for the environment. Hawaii should be proud of leading the way.
5. The Baby Docs Said was Dead After Ultrasound Blunder
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/06/28/exclusive-the-baby-docs-said-was-dead-after-ultrasound-blunder-89520-20623898/
By Jeremy Armstrong 28/06/2008
Little Leona-Lee Gray has defied all the odds - after her parents were told she had died following a hospital ultrasound blunder.
And yesterday proud mum Catherine Kent and dad Kevin Gray cuddled her and admitted: "She is our little miracle."
Seven weeks into her pregnancy Catherine, 27, who had suffered a miscarriage two years earlier, was told her baby was dead.
She was offered drugs or surgery to remove the foetus, but chose to wait for a miscarriage to happen naturally - a decision that saved Leona-Lee's life. She said: "My instincts were telling me something was wrong - I had the morning sickness and felt pregnant.
"I went back to Sunderland General Hospital and told them my concerns.
"I had another ultrasound. When I looked at the screen, I could make out a shape swimming about in the black and white lines. My baby was alive."
Six months on, Leona-Lee Gray was born weighing a healthy 6 lbs 9 oz and is now settling in at the family home in Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham.
Her parents say she is the "spitting image" of big sister Chanelle, seven, and brother Kane, four, is "very excited".
Kevin, 28, said: "The baby is just champion. She is healthy as anything. But because we thought she had died it made the pregnancy a hundred times worse because of the stress."
Catherine shudders to think what might have been. "What if I had taken the tablets they offered me?," she said.
"They could have left my baby severely disabled, or it could have died. They could have aborted my baby while it was alive."
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust has launched an inquiry.
Honorable Mentions:
1.Heroic Neighbors Save Children from Burning Apartment
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=8550979
Posted: June 24, 2008 07:03 PM
Updated: June 27, 2008 01:16 PM
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - A Marine Reservist, a 17-year old teenager and his father are being called heroes after they saved two toddlers from a burning apartment building Tuesday night.
Fire officials say the fire broke out on the second floor of the apartment complex just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, near East 8th Avenue and South Pines.
One mother of two small children, a 2- and 3-year old, was in the shower when she saw smoke coming into the bathroom. She ran to find her kids but the smoke and heat forced her out of the building.
John Higginson, an ex-marine, was across the street at his apartment when he heard a smoke alarm sound and someone screaming, "Someone call 911!" After calling 911 he ran across the street where he heard a woman screaming, "My kids are up there!"
Higginson says he ran to investigate and found 17-year old Alex Suchanek and his father already trying to get into the building.
Suchanek says he'd just finished walking his girlfriend home when he noticed a mass of black smoke outside and heard his neighbor screaming there was a fire, and that her kids were trapped inside. He and his father sprang to action.
The intense heat and smoke inside the building forced the three towards the balcony outside. The marine and the teenager started climbing.
Suchanek broke down an outer door so they could get inside. Then, with a wet towel over his face, using a cell phone as a flashlight, Higginson went into the apartment and found the children by following coughing noises.
Higginson took each child to the balcony where Suchanek was waiting to drop them down to his father below.
Crews say one of the children was not breathing after being rescued, but was resuscitated on-scene and taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center.
One of the children, a girl, is listed in serious condition. The other, a boy, is listed in satisfactory condition. Both are expected to make a full recovery.
When asked what compelled him to risk his life to save the children, Suchanek said, "I was just concerned about the kids. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do something...at least try to help the kids out."
When asked if he was comfortable being called a hero, Higginson chuckled and told reporters, "I served the last ten years in the Marine Corp Reserve. I just got back from Iraq and I still don't accept the title hero for that...I did what anybody should have done, just like Alex."
2.Algae From the Ocean May Offer a Sustainable Energy Source of the Future
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626145543.htm
ScienceDaily
June 28, 2008
Research by two Kansas State University scientists could help with the large-scale cultivation and manufacturing of oil-rich algae in oceans for biofuel.
K-State's Zhijian "Z.J." Pei, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, and Wenqiao "Wayne" Yuan, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, have received a $98,560 Small Grant for Exploratory Research from the National Science Foundation to study solid carriers for manufacturing algae biofuels in the ocean.
Algae are a diverse and simple group of organisms that live in or near water. Certain algal species are high in oil content that could be converted into such fuels as biodiesel, according to Pei and Yuan. Algae also have several environmentally-friendly advantages over corn or other plants used for biofuels, including not needing soil or fresh water to grow.
Pei and Yuan plan to identify attributes of algae and properties of materials that enable growth of certain algae species on solid carriers. Solid carriers float on the water surface for algae to attach to and grow on.
"Not all materials are equally suitable to make these carriers," Yuan said. "Some materials are better for algal attachment and growth than others, and we will be identifying what those 'good' materials are."
The project could help with the design of major equipment for manufacturing algae biofuels from the ocean, including solid carriers, in-the-ocean algae harvesting equipment and oil extraction machines, Pei said.
"This research aims to develop a cost-effective process for growing algae on solid carriers in the ocean for biofuel manufacturing," he said. "If successful, it will greatly benefit the energy security of the United States, as well as society in general."
The research will be conducted with a two-step approach.
"Selected algae species will be grown on solid carriers in a simulated ocean environment and will be evaluated for their ability to attach to solid carriers and grow in seawater, their biomass productivity, and their oil content," Pei said. "Top-ranked species in step one will be selected to test the performance of several carrier materials, including natural organic, synthetic organic and inorganic materials, with the same evaluation parameters as in step one."
Pei said the properties of the highly-ranked carriers also will be analyzed.
Yuan, who has studied biodiesel for several years, said the major problem with making the fuel has been finding sustainable oil and fat sources.
"Algae seems to be the only promising sustainable oil source for biodiesel production," he said. "In my lab, we have several different projects involving algae and we have been trying different ways to grow it. We have already obtained some encouraging results."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adapted from materials provided by Kansas State University, via Newswise.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
2008: June 28th Good News (Transplant Recipient Completes Yosemite Ascent; Amsterdam Votes to Ban Polluting Cars from City Center; more...)
Good Afternoon all,
I bet you've been wondering where I've been. Well, let's just say I had a 2 week "honeymoon" with my husband, who arrived in country (Korea) on the 13th. After not having seen him since February (and since it's the first time we'll be living together for longer than one month) we had a LOT to catch up on. So, although it was an unplanned sebattical, it was wonderful, and much needed! ;)
Anyway, I'm back and I have plenty of stories for you today, including one recommended by a reader. I hope you enjoy today's stories!
Today'S Good News:
1. Sick Children Get Royal Treatment (Tampa Bay Online)
2. Transplant Recipient Completes Yosemite Ascent (Yahoo News)
3. Biologist Rescues Black Bear (Florida Today)
4. 4,500 Year Old Mummies Discovered in Chile (Sify News)
5. Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming (Science Daily)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Amsterdam Votes to Ban Polluting Cars from City Centre (Earth Times)
2. Boaters Rescue Pilot after Pontoon Plane Flips on Columbia River (KGW.com)
3. New Fossils of Extremely Primitive 4 Legged Creatures Close the Gap Between Fish and Land Anmials (Science Daily)
4. Ancient Royal Structure Found in Northern Iran
5. Recyclers Get Bike for Needy Child (The Telegram)
Recommended by a Reader:
1. The Power of One is Greater than None (Fire Mountain Gems)
Unpublishable:
1. This Little Piggy was Rescued from the Middle of I-94 in St. Paul
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=516499
June 28, 2008
Copyright 2008 by KARE 11. All rights reserved
This is a story about a pig that fell out of the truck that was carrying it, and landed on a freeway. Someone in another vehicle saw the pig, stopped to rescue it, and took it to the animal shelter where the animal is recovering. It's a very cute story, complete with picture. I recommend stopping by the link for a look.
2. Dentist's Staff Saddle up to Beat Gas Costs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25405842/
26 June 2008
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This article is about a Dentist office in Arlington Washington that took a stand against high gas prices, by deciding, as a group, to ride their horses into work.
Today's Top 5:
1. Sick Children Get Royal Treatment
http://northwest2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/28/nw-sick-children-get-royal-treatment/?news
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 28, 2008
TAMPA - Almost a dozen pageant winners, dazzling in their stylish dresses and impeccable makeup, plunked themselves down across from sick young girls at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital last week. The pageant queens painstakingly painted nails and applied blush to the girls' faces.
Outside, Tampa Fire Rescue firefighters hoisted hospitalized young boys up onto a gleaming red truck. Some boys, yanked at the steering wheel, while others, in hospital pajamas and plastic firefighter helmets, climbed on the back. Some were still attached to IVs.
Two to three times a year, hospital administrators schedule a kids day like this.
"It's my job to make sure the kids are doing well," said Lisa Andrew, the hospital's child-life specialist, who coordinated the day.
And this day was a crowning achievement.
Girls, some not so sick, others very sick, got the full queen treatment. "It is queen for a day for the girls," she said, "and hero for a day for the boys."
Between 25 and 35 children were sprung from their rooms to go down to the lobby and take part in the party. They made arts and crafts and buddied up with blue-shirted firefighters and paramedics.
Two-year-old Austin Justice of Tampa just couldn't get enough of the fire truck. He falls into the "not very sick" category, having just had his tonsils out. He beamed as he sat behind the steering wheel of the truck.
"He loves fire trucks," said his mom, Micheal. "He loves to drive, too."
Leah Campanella runs the Tampa chapter of Queen for a Day, a nonprofit national organization. She said such events, in which pageant winners are called into service, happen several times a year. Pageant queens from as far away as Lakeland, Pasco County and Clearwater participated in the event.
"We're here to pamper the kids," she said.
At one table, 3-year-old Savannah Allison, bald from treatment for an undisclosed disease, had a serious look. She let Miss Pasco County Fair, Lisa Noury, paint on nail polish and brush on some blush, but Savannah wanted to dab on her own lipstick.
Noury, 19, said she has done about four such events during her tenure. She could only grin at her young charge as Savannah pursed her lips and looked into a mirror. "She's having a ball with that lipstick," Noury said.
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
2. Transplant Recipient Completes Yosemite Ascent
http://www.sofomo.com/US-English/dejanews/Top-News/Default.aspx
By BRENDAN RILEY, Associated Press Writer
28 minutes ago
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - A heart transplant survivor has added another first to her long string of mountaineering feats since getting a new heart 13 years ago — a dangerous 2 1/2-day climb up the sheer, 2,000-foot face of Half Dome,
Yosemite National Park's famed granite monolith.
Kelly Perkins, 46, and her husband, Craig, led by big-wall guide Scott Stowe, began the climb Thursday and reached the top of the iconic 8,842-foot-high dome Saturday afternoon.
The ascent completed an important circle for her. In 1996, 10 months out of the hospital with her new heart, she finished the first of many post-transplant climbs by hiking up the easier backside of Half Dome.
"I feel great. Physically, I feel I'm stronger than I've ever been," Perkins said by cell phone from the top of Half Dome.
"It was a great full circle for me to climb the other side. It was a tricky climb, but it also was a very interesting and beautiful climb."
Since 1996, Perkins has become the first person with another person's heart to summit some of the world's best-known peaks — California's Mount Whitney, Switzerland's Matterhorn, Japan's Mount Fuji, Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro and the face of Yosemite's El Capitan. She also climbed a remote peak in the Andes, near Argentina's border with Chile, and New Zealand's Mount Rolling Pin.
Perkins says she chose Half Dome for her latest climb "because it's broken in half but it still stands strong. There's a spirit-building message there. You may not be 100 percent, but you can still be as strong as others. I'm out there doing things and not worried about being within driving distance of the nearest hospital."
With each ascent, the 5-foot-2, 103-pound Perkins tries to get across the message that transplants can save lives and that transplant recipients can still lead active lives. She also wrote a book, published in 2007, about her struggles, achievements and goals.
Perkins' heart started failing in 1992 after she and her husband returned from a backpacking trip in Europe. The former Lake Tahoe resident, now living in Laguna Niguel, Calif., contracted a virus that made her so weak that Craig had to carry her around their home.
Found to have cardiomyopathy, which inflames heart muscles, Perkins got a new heart at UCLA Medical Center in November 1995 from a woman in her 40s who died in a fall from a horse.
Dr. Jon Kobashigawa, medical director of UCLA Medical Center's transplant program, said he knows of no other woman with a heart transplant who has achieved one high-elevation climb after another, as Perkins has. He likened her to "a type of Lance Armstrong."
Perkins faces problems not encountered by other mountaineers. Transplanted hearts usually lack nerves linking them to the brain, which means Perkins' heart doesn't know when her muscles need more oxygen. She suffers severe shortness of breath until she can establish a pace.
But Kobashigawa said Perkins, through an arduous exercise regimen, may have regrown some of those nerves, enabling a partial response to physical demands on her donor heart. "Sheer will" also is a key factor, he said.
On her ascents, she also has to bring something needed by few other climbers — a backpack crammed with prescription drugs, medical supplies and blood-pressure monitoring gear.
"It's not that I'm a great climber or super-athletic," she said. "I just do my best. What it really represents is that I have the freedom and opportunity and good health to do this, to go out and fully live life, not sit back."
"Someone asked me how long I'm going to do this, now that I'm 46 years old. What am I supposed to do? Roll over and play dead? My time was up before. Now I'm fully functioning and stronger than I've ever been. I'm not slowing down in any way until my body finally tells me, 'No.'"
___
On the Internet:
Kelly Perkins: http://www.theclimbofmylife.com
3. Biologist Rescues Black Bear
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080628/BREAKINGNEWS/80628020/1086/rss07
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 28, 2008
APALACHICOLA — A Florida Fish and Wildlife biologist pulled off a daring rescue Saturday in the Panhandle: He rescued a bear.
Officials say a 375-pound male black bear was seen roaming a residential neighborhood near Alligator Point. The bear was hit with a tranquilizer dart, but he managed to bolt into the Gulf of Mexico before he was sedated.
As the tranquilizer drugs took effect, FWC biologist Adam Warwick jumped in to keep the bear from drowning. He managed to get the bear to shore, and then a backhoe operator helped load the animal to a truck. The bear was relocated to Osceola National Forest near Lake City.
4. 4,500-year-old Mummies Discovered in Chile
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14704621
Saturday, 28 June , 2008, 10:55
Santiago: Eight perfectly preserved mummies, believed to be some 4,500 year old, were found by workers engaged in a restoration project in Chile's far north, Spain's EFE news agency reported on Saturday quoting media report.
"These mummies date back to between 2,000 BC and 5,000 BC." archaeologist Calogero Santoro told the daily El Mercurio.
The mummies are remains of individuals belonging to the Chinchorro culture, which was one of the first to practice mummification and the perfect condition in which the mummies were found is indicative of their advanced techniques. Three of the eight skeletons have been kept on the site in the Morro de Arica site for visitors to see while the other five were taken to Tarapaca University in northern Chile, where other mummies found in previous years are preserved.
Morro de Arica is known for its mummies. Several hundred of them, some as old as 7,000 years, were discovered in 1983 in the area. In 2005, University of Tarapaca archaeologists found 50 Chinchorro mummies, dating back to 4,000 B.C., during the demolition of a house.
The unusually large number of mummies found in the sector indicate that one of the oldest Chinchorro cemeteries may have been located there. The Chinchorros are presumed to have died out or migrated in the first century AD.
The mummies found in northern Chile date back even earlier than the ones discovered in Egypt, making them one of the world's oldest.
5. Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163041.htm
ScienceDaily
June 28, 2008
The battle to reduce carbon emissions is at the heart of many eco-friendly efforts, and researchers from the University of Missouri have discovered that nature has been lending a hand. Researchers at the Missouri Tree Ring Laboratory in the Department of Forestry discovered that trees submerged in freshwater aquatic systems store carbon for thousands of years, a significantly longer period of time than trees that fall in a forest, thus keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.
“If a tree is submerged in water, its carbon will be stored for an average of 2,000 years,” said Richard Guyette, director of the MU Tree Ring Lab and research associate professor of forestry in the School of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “If a tree falls in a forest, that number is reduced to an average of 20 years, and in firewood, the carbon is only stored for one year.”
The team studied trees in northern Missouri, a geographically unique area with a high level of riparian forests (forests that have natural water flowing through them). They discovered submerged oak trees that were as old as 14,000 years, potentially some of the oldest discovered in the world. This carbon storage process is not just ancient; it continues even today as additional trees become submerged, according to Guyette.
While a tree is alive, it has a high ability to store carbon, thus keeping it out of the atmosphere. However, as it begins to decay, a tree’s carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Discovering that certain conditions slow this process reveals the importance of proper tree disposal as well as the benefits of riparian forests.
“Carbon plays a huge role in climate change and information about where it goes will be very important someday soon,” said
Michael C. Stambaugh, research associate in the MU Department of Forestry. “The goal is to increase our knowledge of the carbon cycle, particularly its exchange between the biosphere (plants) and atmosphere. We need to know where it goes and for how long in order to know how to offset its effects.”
This could be a valuable find for landowners. Although it is not yet common in North America, emissions trading has been gaining popularity in parts of Europe. Also known as cap and trade, emissions trading works to reduce pollution by setting a limit on the amount of pollutants an organization can emit into the air. If they exceed that number, the group is required to obtain carbon credits. One carbon credit equals one metric ton of carbon-dioxide or other equivalent greenhouse gases.
Carbon credits can be purchased in a variety of ways. Such as: planting new trees or harvesting old wood that has stored carbon; collecting methane from landfills; or purchasing credits from other companies who have a carbon surplus by staying below their emission requirements.
This week, the California Air Resources Board announced the consideration of a large plan to fight global warming. The recommendations include reducing emissions, in part by requiring major polluters to trade carbon credits.
“Farmers can sell the carbon they have stored in their trees through a carbon credit stock market,” Guyette said. “Companies that emit excess of carbon would be able to buy carbon credits to offset their pollution.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal reference:
Guyette et al. The Temporal Distribution and Carbon Storage of Large Oak Wood in Streams and Floodplain Deposits. Ecosystems,
2008; 11 (4): 643 DOI: 10.1007/s10021-008-9149-9
Adapted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Amsterdam Votes to Ban Polluting Cars from City Centre
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/215347,amsterdam-votes-to-ban-polluting-cars-from-city-centre.html
Posted : Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:08:04 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Environment
Amsterdam - Amsterdam City Council voted in favour of a bill Friday to ban polluting cars like sports utility vehicles (SUVs) from entering the old city centre. The opposition parties criticized the bill, which it called an "antisocial car plan, instead of a plan to improve the air quality in Amsterdam."
In several parts of Amsterdam city centre the air quality is below the acceptable level. Local politicians have been looking for ways to reduce car traffic.
By prohibiting polluting cars from entering the city, the air quality must improve within the next two years, the councillors said.
Minister for Infrastructure and Traffic Camiel Eurlings (Christian Democrat) said he favoured the government initiating a national policy to improve air quality rather than allowing individual Dutch cities to initiate their own policies.
Previously, the city of Leiden near The Hague prohibited SUVs from entering the city centre.
2. Boaters Rescue Pilot after Pontoon Plane Flips on Columbia River
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_062708_news_pontoon_plane_columbia.4663208d.html06:50 PM PDT on Friday, June 27, 2008
By kgw.com Staff
Pontoon plane flips RAINIER, Ore. -- Boaters helped rescue a pilot after his pontoon plane flipped on the Columbia River Friday afternoon.
Columbia River Fire said the plane flipped upside down while trying to land near the city docks around 5:30 p.m. The pilot was the only person onboard.
Boaters were able to pull the pilot to safety, he suffered minor injuries.
3. New Fossils of Extremely Primitive 4-Legged Creatures Close the Gap Between Fish and Land Animals
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140643.htm
ScienceDaily
June 27, 2008
New exquisitely preserved fossils from Latvia cast light on a key event in our own evolutionary history, when our ancestors left the water and ventured onto land.
Swedish researcher Per Ahlberg from Uppsala University and colleagues have reconstructed parts of the animal and explain the transformation in the new issue of Nature.
It has long been known that the first backboned land animals or "tetrapods" - the ancestors of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including ourselves - evolved from a group of fishes about 370 million years ago during the Devonian period.
However, even though scientists had discovered fossils of tetrapod-like fishes and fish-like tetrapods from this period, these were still rather different from each other and did not give a complete picture of the intermediate steps in the transition.
In 2006 the situation changed dramatically with the discovery of an almost perfectly intermediate fish-tetrapod, Tiktaalik, but even so a gap remained between this animal and the earliest true tetrapods (animals with limbs rather than paired fins).
Now, new fossils of the extremely primitive tetrapod Ventastega from the Devonian of Latvia cast light on this key phase of the transition.
"Ventastega was first described from fragmentary material in 1994; since then, excavations have produced lots of new superbly preserved fossils, allowing us to reconstruct the whole head, shoulder girdle and part of the pelvis", says Professor Per Ahlberg at the Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Uppsala University.
The recontructions made by Professor Ahlberg and Assistant Professor Henning Blom together with British and Latvian colleagues show that Ventastega was more fish-like than any of its contemporaries, such as Acanthostega. The shape of its skull, and the pattern of teeth in its jaws, are neatly intermediate between those of Tiktaalik and Acanthostega.
"However, the shoulder girdle and pelvis are almost identical to those of Aanthostega, and the shoulder girdle is quite different from that of Tiktaalik (the pelvis of Tiktaalik is unknown), suggesting that the transformation from paired fins to limbs had already occurred. It appears that different parts of the body evolved at different speeds during the transition from water to land", says Per Ahlberg.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal reference:
Per E. Ahlberg, Jennifer A. Clack, Ervins Luksevics, Henning Blom, Ivars Zupins. Ventastega curonica and the origin of
tetrapod morphology. Nature, 2008; 453 (7199): 1199 DOI: 10.1038/nature06991
Adapted from materials provided by Uppsala University.
4. Ancient Royal Structure Found in Northern Iran
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=61722§ionid=351020105
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:20:32
Iranian archeologists have unearthed an ancient royal structure in the city of Natel located in the northern Mazandaran Province. The quadrangular structure has a number of rooms, surrounded with porticos and a trench, which was filled with water and used to protect the building from attacks.
The monument was constructed with high quality materials and fortified with mortar and three-coat plastering. Findings show that the building previously had beautiful architectural decorations and was ruined during battles.
The first phase of Natel archeological excavations also yielded a six-meter deep trench, built with large stones, mud, lime and plaster, which surrounds the entire city. The city of Natel, located at the heart of Iran's northern forests and west of Mazanadran Province, was destroyed during the Safavid era.
TE/HGH
5. Recyclers Get Bike for Needy Child
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080626/NEWS/806260593/1004/NEWS04
Betty Lilyestrom (508) 892-3454
blilyestrom@telegram.com
Thursday, June 26th 2008
Leicester’s recycling guru, Ruth L. Kaminski, e-mailed the Notebook with a tale about a young immigrant boy whose life she had a hand in recycling.
It seems she heard about a 9-year-old who had just come to town from Santo Domingo with his mother, a former schoolteacher who had been in a bad accident and was handicapped and in a wheelchair. The boy knows no one and just sits on the steps of his apartment complex, watching the other children ride their bikes.
“I stood at Recycling last Saturday telling this story over and over,” she said. “And then John McNaboe brought us a bike that was perfect for a 9-year-old boy — but it needed a new tire. A lady who would not give her name left Recycling, went to cash in her returnable bottles and came back with enough money from the proceeds to purchase a new tire and to buy a helmet, too!
“This is why we keep coming back here for 17 years, every other Saturday,” Ms. Kaminski said. “Miracles happen all the time.”
For those who don’t know, the Recycling Center on Mannville Street is open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Saturdays each month.
And something else to warm your heart — the annual Summer Concert Series will begin next Wednesday on the concert stage at the Town Common. All the concerts will be held on Wednesday evenings unless it rains, in which case they will be held the following evening, in Town Hall if necessary. Concert hours are 7 to 9 p.m. in July, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in August.
The schedule:
July 2, Blackstone Valley Concert Band; Patriotic Concert July 9; Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band, Bluegrass Night July 16;
The Little Big Band, 40s Swing Concert, July 23; The Pulaski Brass Band Polkas Show, Old Fashioned Band Concert, July 30;
Caribbean for Kids, Fun Program for Children, Aug. 6, Kathy’s Clown, 50s Rock n’ Roll and Cruise Night, Aug. 13; Changes in
Latitude, Buffet Concert, Aug. 20; Mickey Bones and the Hot Tamale Brass Band, Louisiana Jazz Night, Aug. 27.
The project is funded by a grant from the Leicester Arts Council, the Leicester Savings Bank Fund, the McKenna Insurance Co., Country Bank for Savings and audience donations.
Recommended by a Reader:
1. The Power of One is Greater than None:
Mission to Rescue Children from Slavery in Ghana
http://www.firemountaingems.com/aboutus/whatserupting_article.asp?docid=8556&WT.fmg_linksection=575EQO8K1B04&WT.mc_id=NL080624_2 24 June 2008 by Jamie S., Marketing Group
It all began during a school break in April 2007, when eight fourteen-year-old friends from Long Island, NY saw an Oprah episode titled "The Little Boy Oprah Couldn't Forget" featuring a story about enslaved children in Ghana, Africa.
In Ghana, hundreds of children are being sold for as little as $20 into a life of servitude in the fishing trade. They are forced to labor over 15 hours a day rowing huge boats and retrieving miles of filthy fishing nets from the deep waters. Alone, they must endure harsh, dangerous conditions. The children are lucky if they are fed one meal a day and they have no possessions, not even themselves. Their lives consist of excruciating work, fear and isolation.
After watching this moving Oprah episode, the girls were heartbroken knowing this kind of thing was happening, so they decided to raise money to help with the rescue efforts to free enslaved children. Even though they had limited financial and material resources, they were determined to make a difference. For months, the girls talked about starting a charity, but they couldn't answer all of the "who, what, when, where and how" questions. However, each one of them deeply understood the most important question, "Why?"
The girls learned about the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that established a program for people to sponsor the effort of rescuing trafficked children. The girls discovered that they would have to come up with $4,300 to save just one child. The $4,300 is used for initially rescuing one child from brutally dangerous and inhumane conditions. Any remaining money goes towards providing him/her with 2-1/2 years of safe shelter, food, warmth and invaluable education. Even so, it seemed like an insurmountable amount to the teenage girls, but they were determined to succeed.
As the girls worked together, they asked themselves, "What if we can only raise enough to save one child?" That was when they all agreed, "If all our efforts can only save one child, then one is better than none." This simple statement was the beginning of their name, One is Greater than None™ (1>0).
The 1>0 girls decided that the best way to raise money and awareness was by using their jewelry-making skills to make bracelets and necklaces to sell. With every sale, they would not only educate people on what is going on in fishing villages of Ghana, but they would also start to build the amount necessary to save that one child. Their necklace design features eight wooden beads, representing each girl in the 1>0 group, and a single recycled glass bead; made in Ghana; that sits in the center representing a child the 1>0 girls are working to set free.
Jewelry-making supplies can be expensive, and the large scope of raising $4,300 to save just one child made it hard to part with any money they had to buy beads and cord for making jewelry to sell. That was when the girls approached Fire Mountain Gems and Beads to help in any way they could. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads heartily responded to the 1>0 girls' cause by donating gemstone beads and stringing materials to get the girls started on their mission to save children.
All eight of the 1>0 girls committed themselves to making thousands of handmade bracelets and necklaces after school. Their jewelry was packaged on simple cards that shared the story behind their cause and directed people to their website, www.oneisbetterthannone.org where more information could be found about their mission and why they were doing it.
So many great things have come from what the 1>0 girls have started. A fantastic website was generously donated, which increased their ability to sell handmade jewelry and 1>0 clothing that tells the story of the enslaved children of Ghana. Other donations that helped them succeed in raising money included printing, legal consultation and photography by people wanting to contribute in any way they can to help save the trafficked children in Ghana.
Through overwhelming nationwide support, the girls were quickly able to raise enough money to save one child, then a second. Their cause was soon discovered and published by Teen Vogue, CBS News, ABC News and The Martha Stewart Show. After such support from the press, the 1>0 girls' proceeds were enough to save an amazing total of eight more children! Of the 36 children freed in the rescue mission in January of 2008, eight of them were sponsored by the effort spearheaded by the 1>0 girls. Shortly after that, they earned enough to return for two more children. Within six months, 1>0 raised enough money to save 10 more children, and the girls hope to sponsor a full rescue mission, a minimum of 25 children, soon.
There are still over 424 children working for 800 fishermen on five islands in Ghana. Through the sale of jewelry, 1>0 clothing and donations, they hope to be able to sponsor more rescues in the near future.
Throughout their website and in interviews, the girls say over and over, "Your support, whether it's a donation or a purchase, is telling these children that they have not been forgotten. It's because of YOU that a child will receive that soft tap on the shoulder by a rescuer telling them 'It's over. Your nightmare is over and we have come to take you home.' That $1 donation, that 1 bracelet or necklace, that 1 article of clothing from the apparel line is giving a child their life back."
The girls won't quit until every child is set free. You can help. A purchase of one bracelet can make a difference to these children. The 1>0 girls have proven that. They encourage each person to be a part of the equation. If you would like more information, updates or want to take part in the 1>0 efforts to free children in Ghana, visit their website at www.oneisgreaterthannone.org. The website has a link to a video on YouTube of the girls' first year, showing how the simple task of making jewelry turned into an amazing year of thousands of people becoming "part of the equation."
I bet you've been wondering where I've been. Well, let's just say I had a 2 week "honeymoon" with my husband, who arrived in country (Korea) on the 13th. After not having seen him since February (and since it's the first time we'll be living together for longer than one month) we had a LOT to catch up on. So, although it was an unplanned sebattical, it was wonderful, and much needed! ;)
Anyway, I'm back and I have plenty of stories for you today, including one recommended by a reader. I hope you enjoy today's stories!
Today'S Good News:
1. Sick Children Get Royal Treatment (Tampa Bay Online)
2. Transplant Recipient Completes Yosemite Ascent (Yahoo News)
3. Biologist Rescues Black Bear (Florida Today)
4. 4,500 Year Old Mummies Discovered in Chile (Sify News)
5. Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming (Science Daily)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Amsterdam Votes to Ban Polluting Cars from City Centre (Earth Times)
2. Boaters Rescue Pilot after Pontoon Plane Flips on Columbia River (KGW.com)
3. New Fossils of Extremely Primitive 4 Legged Creatures Close the Gap Between Fish and Land Anmials (Science Daily)
4. Ancient Royal Structure Found in Northern Iran
5. Recyclers Get Bike for Needy Child (The Telegram)
Recommended by a Reader:
1. The Power of One is Greater than None (Fire Mountain Gems)
Unpublishable:
1. This Little Piggy was Rescued from the Middle of I-94 in St. Paul
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=516499
June 28, 2008
Copyright 2008 by KARE 11. All rights reserved
This is a story about a pig that fell out of the truck that was carrying it, and landed on a freeway. Someone in another vehicle saw the pig, stopped to rescue it, and took it to the animal shelter where the animal is recovering. It's a very cute story, complete with picture. I recommend stopping by the link for a look.
2. Dentist's Staff Saddle up to Beat Gas Costs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25405842/
26 June 2008
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This article is about a Dentist office in Arlington Washington that took a stand against high gas prices, by deciding, as a group, to ride their horses into work.
Today's Top 5:
1. Sick Children Get Royal Treatment
http://northwest2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/28/nw-sick-children-get-royal-treatment/?news
By KEITH MORELLI
The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 28, 2008
TAMPA - Almost a dozen pageant winners, dazzling in their stylish dresses and impeccable makeup, plunked themselves down across from sick young girls at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital last week. The pageant queens painstakingly painted nails and applied blush to the girls' faces.
Outside, Tampa Fire Rescue firefighters hoisted hospitalized young boys up onto a gleaming red truck. Some boys, yanked at the steering wheel, while others, in hospital pajamas and plastic firefighter helmets, climbed on the back. Some were still attached to IVs.
Two to three times a year, hospital administrators schedule a kids day like this.
"It's my job to make sure the kids are doing well," said Lisa Andrew, the hospital's child-life specialist, who coordinated the day.
And this day was a crowning achievement.
Girls, some not so sick, others very sick, got the full queen treatment. "It is queen for a day for the girls," she said, "and hero for a day for the boys."
Between 25 and 35 children were sprung from their rooms to go down to the lobby and take part in the party. They made arts and crafts and buddied up with blue-shirted firefighters and paramedics.
Two-year-old Austin Justice of Tampa just couldn't get enough of the fire truck. He falls into the "not very sick" category, having just had his tonsils out. He beamed as he sat behind the steering wheel of the truck.
"He loves fire trucks," said his mom, Micheal. "He loves to drive, too."
Leah Campanella runs the Tampa chapter of Queen for a Day, a nonprofit national organization. She said such events, in which pageant winners are called into service, happen several times a year. Pageant queens from as far away as Lakeland, Pasco County and Clearwater participated in the event.
"We're here to pamper the kids," she said.
At one table, 3-year-old Savannah Allison, bald from treatment for an undisclosed disease, had a serious look. She let Miss Pasco County Fair, Lisa Noury, paint on nail polish and brush on some blush, but Savannah wanted to dab on her own lipstick.
Noury, 19, said she has done about four such events during her tenure. She could only grin at her young charge as Savannah pursed her lips and looked into a mirror. "She's having a ball with that lipstick," Noury said.
Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
2. Transplant Recipient Completes Yosemite Ascenthttp://www.sofomo.com/US-English/dejanews/Top-News/Default.aspx
By BRENDAN RILEY, Associated Press Writer
28 minutes ago
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - A heart transplant survivor has added another first to her long string of mountaineering feats since getting a new heart 13 years ago — a dangerous 2 1/2-day climb up the sheer, 2,000-foot face of Half Dome,
Yosemite National Park's famed granite monolith.
Kelly Perkins, 46, and her husband, Craig, led by big-wall guide Scott Stowe, began the climb Thursday and reached the top of the iconic 8,842-foot-high dome Saturday afternoon.
The ascent completed an important circle for her. In 1996, 10 months out of the hospital with her new heart, she finished the first of many post-transplant climbs by hiking up the easier backside of Half Dome.
"I feel great. Physically, I feel I'm stronger than I've ever been," Perkins said by cell phone from the top of Half Dome.
"It was a great full circle for me to climb the other side. It was a tricky climb, but it also was a very interesting and beautiful climb."
Since 1996, Perkins has become the first person with another person's heart to summit some of the world's best-known peaks — California's Mount Whitney, Switzerland's Matterhorn, Japan's Mount Fuji, Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro and the face of Yosemite's El Capitan. She also climbed a remote peak in the Andes, near Argentina's border with Chile, and New Zealand's Mount Rolling Pin.
Perkins says she chose Half Dome for her latest climb "because it's broken in half but it still stands strong. There's a spirit-building message there. You may not be 100 percent, but you can still be as strong as others. I'm out there doing things and not worried about being within driving distance of the nearest hospital."
With each ascent, the 5-foot-2, 103-pound Perkins tries to get across the message that transplants can save lives and that transplant recipients can still lead active lives. She also wrote a book, published in 2007, about her struggles, achievements and goals.
Perkins' heart started failing in 1992 after she and her husband returned from a backpacking trip in Europe. The former Lake Tahoe resident, now living in Laguna Niguel, Calif., contracted a virus that made her so weak that Craig had to carry her around their home.
Found to have cardiomyopathy, which inflames heart muscles, Perkins got a new heart at UCLA Medical Center in November 1995 from a woman in her 40s who died in a fall from a horse.
Dr. Jon Kobashigawa, medical director of UCLA Medical Center's transplant program, said he knows of no other woman with a heart transplant who has achieved one high-elevation climb after another, as Perkins has. He likened her to "a type of Lance Armstrong."
Perkins faces problems not encountered by other mountaineers. Transplanted hearts usually lack nerves linking them to the brain, which means Perkins' heart doesn't know when her muscles need more oxygen. She suffers severe shortness of breath until she can establish a pace.
But Kobashigawa said Perkins, through an arduous exercise regimen, may have regrown some of those nerves, enabling a partial response to physical demands on her donor heart. "Sheer will" also is a key factor, he said.
On her ascents, she also has to bring something needed by few other climbers — a backpack crammed with prescription drugs, medical supplies and blood-pressure monitoring gear.
"It's not that I'm a great climber or super-athletic," she said. "I just do my best. What it really represents is that I have the freedom and opportunity and good health to do this, to go out and fully live life, not sit back."
"Someone asked me how long I'm going to do this, now that I'm 46 years old. What am I supposed to do? Roll over and play dead? My time was up before. Now I'm fully functioning and stronger than I've ever been. I'm not slowing down in any way until my body finally tells me, 'No.'"
___
On the Internet:
Kelly Perkins: http://www.theclimbofmylife.com
3. Biologist Rescues Black Bear
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080628/BREAKINGNEWS/80628020/1086/rss07
ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 28, 2008
APALACHICOLA — A Florida Fish and Wildlife biologist pulled off a daring rescue Saturday in the Panhandle: He rescued a bear.
Officials say a 375-pound male black bear was seen roaming a residential neighborhood near Alligator Point. The bear was hit with a tranquilizer dart, but he managed to bolt into the Gulf of Mexico before he was sedated.
As the tranquilizer drugs took effect, FWC biologist Adam Warwick jumped in to keep the bear from drowning. He managed to get the bear to shore, and then a backhoe operator helped load the animal to a truck. The bear was relocated to Osceola National Forest near Lake City.
4. 4,500-year-old Mummies Discovered in Chile
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14704621
Saturday, 28 June , 2008, 10:55
Santiago: Eight perfectly preserved mummies, believed to be some 4,500 year old, were found by workers engaged in a restoration project in Chile's far north, Spain's EFE news agency reported on Saturday quoting media report.
"These mummies date back to between 2,000 BC and 5,000 BC." archaeologist Calogero Santoro told the daily El Mercurio.
The mummies are remains of individuals belonging to the Chinchorro culture, which was one of the first to practice mummification and the perfect condition in which the mummies were found is indicative of their advanced techniques. Three of the eight skeletons have been kept on the site in the Morro de Arica site for visitors to see while the other five were taken to Tarapaca University in northern Chile, where other mummies found in previous years are preserved.
Morro de Arica is known for its mummies. Several hundred of them, some as old as 7,000 years, were discovered in 1983 in the area. In 2005, University of Tarapaca archaeologists found 50 Chinchorro mummies, dating back to 4,000 B.C., during the demolition of a house.
The unusually large number of mummies found in the sector indicate that one of the oldest Chinchorro cemeteries may have been located there. The Chinchorros are presumed to have died out or migrated in the first century AD.
The mummies found in northern Chile date back even earlier than the ones discovered in Egypt, making them one of the world's oldest.
5. Ancient Oak Trees Help Reduce Global Warming
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163041.htmScienceDaily
June 28, 2008
The battle to reduce carbon emissions is at the heart of many eco-friendly efforts, and researchers from the University of Missouri have discovered that nature has been lending a hand. Researchers at the Missouri Tree Ring Laboratory in the Department of Forestry discovered that trees submerged in freshwater aquatic systems store carbon for thousands of years, a significantly longer period of time than trees that fall in a forest, thus keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.
“If a tree is submerged in water, its carbon will be stored for an average of 2,000 years,” said Richard Guyette, director of the MU Tree Ring Lab and research associate professor of forestry in the School of Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “If a tree falls in a forest, that number is reduced to an average of 20 years, and in firewood, the carbon is only stored for one year.”
The team studied trees in northern Missouri, a geographically unique area with a high level of riparian forests (forests that have natural water flowing through them). They discovered submerged oak trees that were as old as 14,000 years, potentially some of the oldest discovered in the world. This carbon storage process is not just ancient; it continues even today as additional trees become submerged, according to Guyette.
While a tree is alive, it has a high ability to store carbon, thus keeping it out of the atmosphere. However, as it begins to decay, a tree’s carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Discovering that certain conditions slow this process reveals the importance of proper tree disposal as well as the benefits of riparian forests.
“Carbon plays a huge role in climate change and information about where it goes will be very important someday soon,” said
Michael C. Stambaugh, research associate in the MU Department of Forestry. “The goal is to increase our knowledge of the carbon cycle, particularly its exchange between the biosphere (plants) and atmosphere. We need to know where it goes and for how long in order to know how to offset its effects.”
This could be a valuable find for landowners. Although it is not yet common in North America, emissions trading has been gaining popularity in parts of Europe. Also known as cap and trade, emissions trading works to reduce pollution by setting a limit on the amount of pollutants an organization can emit into the air. If they exceed that number, the group is required to obtain carbon credits. One carbon credit equals one metric ton of carbon-dioxide or other equivalent greenhouse gases.
Carbon credits can be purchased in a variety of ways. Such as: planting new trees or harvesting old wood that has stored carbon; collecting methane from landfills; or purchasing credits from other companies who have a carbon surplus by staying below their emission requirements.
This week, the California Air Resources Board announced the consideration of a large plan to fight global warming. The recommendations include reducing emissions, in part by requiring major polluters to trade carbon credits.
“Farmers can sell the carbon they have stored in their trees through a carbon credit stock market,” Guyette said. “Companies that emit excess of carbon would be able to buy carbon credits to offset their pollution.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal reference:
Guyette et al. The Temporal Distribution and Carbon Storage of Large Oak Wood in Streams and Floodplain Deposits. Ecosystems,
2008; 11 (4): 643 DOI: 10.1007/s10021-008-9149-9
Adapted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Amsterdam Votes to Ban Polluting Cars from City Centre
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/215347,amsterdam-votes-to-ban-polluting-cars-from-city-centre.html
Posted : Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:08:04 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Environment
Amsterdam - Amsterdam City Council voted in favour of a bill Friday to ban polluting cars like sports utility vehicles (SUVs) from entering the old city centre. The opposition parties criticized the bill, which it called an "antisocial car plan, instead of a plan to improve the air quality in Amsterdam."
In several parts of Amsterdam city centre the air quality is below the acceptable level. Local politicians have been looking for ways to reduce car traffic.
By prohibiting polluting cars from entering the city, the air quality must improve within the next two years, the councillors said.
Minister for Infrastructure and Traffic Camiel Eurlings (Christian Democrat) said he favoured the government initiating a national policy to improve air quality rather than allowing individual Dutch cities to initiate their own policies.
Previously, the city of Leiden near The Hague prohibited SUVs from entering the city centre.
2. Boaters Rescue Pilot after Pontoon Plane Flips on Columbia River
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_062708_news_pontoon_plane_columbia.4663208d.html06:50 PM PDT on Friday, June 27, 2008
By kgw.com Staff
Pontoon plane flips RAINIER, Ore. -- Boaters helped rescue a pilot after his pontoon plane flipped on the Columbia River Friday afternoon.
Columbia River Fire said the plane flipped upside down while trying to land near the city docks around 5:30 p.m. The pilot was the only person onboard.
Boaters were able to pull the pilot to safety, he suffered minor injuries.
3. New Fossils of Extremely Primitive 4-Legged Creatures Close the Gap Between Fish and Land Animalshttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140643.htm
ScienceDaily
June 27, 2008
New exquisitely preserved fossils from Latvia cast light on a key event in our own evolutionary history, when our ancestors left the water and ventured onto land.
Swedish researcher Per Ahlberg from Uppsala University and colleagues have reconstructed parts of the animal and explain the transformation in the new issue of Nature.
It has long been known that the first backboned land animals or "tetrapods" - the ancestors of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including ourselves - evolved from a group of fishes about 370 million years ago during the Devonian period.
However, even though scientists had discovered fossils of tetrapod-like fishes and fish-like tetrapods from this period, these were still rather different from each other and did not give a complete picture of the intermediate steps in the transition.
In 2006 the situation changed dramatically with the discovery of an almost perfectly intermediate fish-tetrapod, Tiktaalik, but even so a gap remained between this animal and the earliest true tetrapods (animals with limbs rather than paired fins).
Now, new fossils of the extremely primitive tetrapod Ventastega from the Devonian of Latvia cast light on this key phase of the transition.
"Ventastega was first described from fragmentary material in 1994; since then, excavations have produced lots of new superbly preserved fossils, allowing us to reconstruct the whole head, shoulder girdle and part of the pelvis", says Professor Per Ahlberg at the Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Uppsala University.
The recontructions made by Professor Ahlberg and Assistant Professor Henning Blom together with British and Latvian colleagues show that Ventastega was more fish-like than any of its contemporaries, such as Acanthostega. The shape of its skull, and the pattern of teeth in its jaws, are neatly intermediate between those of Tiktaalik and Acanthostega.
"However, the shoulder girdle and pelvis are almost identical to those of Aanthostega, and the shoulder girdle is quite different from that of Tiktaalik (the pelvis of Tiktaalik is unknown), suggesting that the transformation from paired fins to limbs had already occurred. It appears that different parts of the body evolved at different speeds during the transition from water to land", says Per Ahlberg.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal reference:
Per E. Ahlberg, Jennifer A. Clack, Ervins Luksevics, Henning Blom, Ivars Zupins. Ventastega curonica and the origin of
tetrapod morphology. Nature, 2008; 453 (7199): 1199 DOI: 10.1038/nature06991
Adapted from materials provided by Uppsala University.
4. Ancient Royal Structure Found in Northern Iranhttp://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=61722§ionid=351020105
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:20:32
Iranian archeologists have unearthed an ancient royal structure in the city of Natel located in the northern Mazandaran Province. The quadrangular structure has a number of rooms, surrounded with porticos and a trench, which was filled with water and used to protect the building from attacks.
The monument was constructed with high quality materials and fortified with mortar and three-coat plastering. Findings show that the building previously had beautiful architectural decorations and was ruined during battles.
The first phase of Natel archeological excavations also yielded a six-meter deep trench, built with large stones, mud, lime and plaster, which surrounds the entire city. The city of Natel, located at the heart of Iran's northern forests and west of Mazanadran Province, was destroyed during the Safavid era.
TE/HGH
5. Recyclers Get Bike for Needy Child
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080626/NEWS/806260593/1004/NEWS04
Betty Lilyestrom (508) 892-3454
blilyestrom@telegram.com
Thursday, June 26th 2008
Leicester’s recycling guru, Ruth L. Kaminski, e-mailed the Notebook with a tale about a young immigrant boy whose life she had a hand in recycling.
It seems she heard about a 9-year-old who had just come to town from Santo Domingo with his mother, a former schoolteacher who had been in a bad accident and was handicapped and in a wheelchair. The boy knows no one and just sits on the steps of his apartment complex, watching the other children ride their bikes.
“I stood at Recycling last Saturday telling this story over and over,” she said. “And then John McNaboe brought us a bike that was perfect for a 9-year-old boy — but it needed a new tire. A lady who would not give her name left Recycling, went to cash in her returnable bottles and came back with enough money from the proceeds to purchase a new tire and to buy a helmet, too!
“This is why we keep coming back here for 17 years, every other Saturday,” Ms. Kaminski said. “Miracles happen all the time.”
For those who don’t know, the Recycling Center on Mannville Street is open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Saturdays each month.
And something else to warm your heart — the annual Summer Concert Series will begin next Wednesday on the concert stage at the Town Common. All the concerts will be held on Wednesday evenings unless it rains, in which case they will be held the following evening, in Town Hall if necessary. Concert hours are 7 to 9 p.m. in July, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in August.
The schedule:
July 2, Blackstone Valley Concert Band; Patriotic Concert July 9; Blackstone Valley Bluegrass Band, Bluegrass Night July 16;
The Little Big Band, 40s Swing Concert, July 23; The Pulaski Brass Band Polkas Show, Old Fashioned Band Concert, July 30;
Caribbean for Kids, Fun Program for Children, Aug. 6, Kathy’s Clown, 50s Rock n’ Roll and Cruise Night, Aug. 13; Changes in
Latitude, Buffet Concert, Aug. 20; Mickey Bones and the Hot Tamale Brass Band, Louisiana Jazz Night, Aug. 27.
The project is funded by a grant from the Leicester Arts Council, the Leicester Savings Bank Fund, the McKenna Insurance Co., Country Bank for Savings and audience donations.
Recommended by a Reader:
1. The Power of One is Greater than None:
Mission to Rescue Children from Slavery in Ghana
http://www.firemountaingems.com/aboutus/whatserupting_article.asp?docid=8556&WT.fmg_linksection=575EQO8K1B04&WT.mc_id=NL080624_2 24 June 2008 by Jamie S., Marketing Group
It all began during a school break in April 2007, when eight fourteen-year-old friends from Long Island, NY saw an Oprah episode titled "The Little Boy Oprah Couldn't Forget" featuring a story about enslaved children in Ghana, Africa.
In Ghana, hundreds of children are being sold for as little as $20 into a life of servitude in the fishing trade. They are forced to labor over 15 hours a day rowing huge boats and retrieving miles of filthy fishing nets from the deep waters. Alone, they must endure harsh, dangerous conditions. The children are lucky if they are fed one meal a day and they have no possessions, not even themselves. Their lives consist of excruciating work, fear and isolation.
After watching this moving Oprah episode, the girls were heartbroken knowing this kind of thing was happening, so they decided to raise money to help with the rescue efforts to free enslaved children. Even though they had limited financial and material resources, they were determined to make a difference. For months, the girls talked about starting a charity, but they couldn't answer all of the "who, what, when, where and how" questions. However, each one of them deeply understood the most important question, "Why?"
The girls learned about the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that established a program for people to sponsor the effort of rescuing trafficked children. The girls discovered that they would have to come up with $4,300 to save just one child. The $4,300 is used for initially rescuing one child from brutally dangerous and inhumane conditions. Any remaining money goes towards providing him/her with 2-1/2 years of safe shelter, food, warmth and invaluable education. Even so, it seemed like an insurmountable amount to the teenage girls, but they were determined to succeed.
As the girls worked together, they asked themselves, "What if we can only raise enough to save one child?" That was when they all agreed, "If all our efforts can only save one child, then one is better than none." This simple statement was the beginning of their name, One is Greater than None™ (1>0).
The 1>0 girls decided that the best way to raise money and awareness was by using their jewelry-making skills to make bracelets and necklaces to sell. With every sale, they would not only educate people on what is going on in fishing villages of Ghana, but they would also start to build the amount necessary to save that one child. Their necklace design features eight wooden beads, representing each girl in the 1>0 group, and a single recycled glass bead; made in Ghana; that sits in the center representing a child the 1>0 girls are working to set free.
Jewelry-making supplies can be expensive, and the large scope of raising $4,300 to save just one child made it hard to part with any money they had to buy beads and cord for making jewelry to sell. That was when the girls approached Fire Mountain Gems and Beads to help in any way they could. Fire Mountain Gems and Beads heartily responded to the 1>0 girls' cause by donating gemstone beads and stringing materials to get the girls started on their mission to save children.
All eight of the 1>0 girls committed themselves to making thousands of handmade bracelets and necklaces after school. Their jewelry was packaged on simple cards that shared the story behind their cause and directed people to their website, www.oneisbetterthannone.org where more information could be found about their mission and why they were doing it.
So many great things have come from what the 1>0 girls have started. A fantastic website was generously donated, which increased their ability to sell handmade jewelry and 1>0 clothing that tells the story of the enslaved children of Ghana. Other donations that helped them succeed in raising money included printing, legal consultation and photography by people wanting to contribute in any way they can to help save the trafficked children in Ghana.
Through overwhelming nationwide support, the girls were quickly able to raise enough money to save one child, then a second. Their cause was soon discovered and published by Teen Vogue, CBS News, ABC News and The Martha Stewart Show. After such support from the press, the 1>0 girls' proceeds were enough to save an amazing total of eight more children! Of the 36 children freed in the rescue mission in January of 2008, eight of them were sponsored by the effort spearheaded by the 1>0 girls. Shortly after that, they earned enough to return for two more children. Within six months, 1>0 raised enough money to save 10 more children, and the girls hope to sponsor a full rescue mission, a minimum of 25 children, soon.
There are still over 424 children working for 800 fishermen on five islands in Ghana. Through the sale of jewelry, 1>0 clothing and donations, they hope to be able to sponsor more rescues in the near future.
Throughout their website and in interviews, the girls say over and over, "Your support, whether it's a donation or a purchase, is telling these children that they have not been forgotten. It's because of YOU that a child will receive that soft tap on the shoulder by a rescuer telling them 'It's over. Your nightmare is over and we have come to take you home.' That $1 donation, that 1 bracelet or necklace, that 1 article of clothing from the apparel line is giving a child their life back."
The girls won't quit until every child is set free. You can help. A purchase of one bracelet can make a difference to these children. The 1>0 girls have proven that. They encourage each person to be a part of the equation. If you would like more information, updates or want to take part in the 1>0 efforts to free children in Ghana, visit their website at www.oneisgreaterthannone.org. The website has a link to a video on YouTube of the girls' first year, showing how the simple task of making jewelry turned into an amazing year of thousands of people becoming "part of the equation."
Saturday, June 14, 2008
2008: June 14th Good News ($20 Million Biodiversity Protection in Madagascar; 1780 British Warship Found in Lake Ontario; more...)
Good Evening all,
My husband arrived 2 nights ago. I'm so happy that he's finally here. Unfortunately for all of you, that means I am devoting much less time to the news. However, my husband fully supports my news blog, and I did find some articles for you today. :)
I hope you enjoy.
Today's Top 5:
1. Monumental Debt-for-Nature Swap Provides $20 Million to Protect Biodiversity in Madagascar (Science Daily)
2. US Coast Guard Rescues Charity Rowers (UK Reuters)
3. 1780 British Warship Found in Lake (Channel 14 News)
4. Dollar Rises Most Since 2005 as Bernanke Cites Reduced (Bloomberg)
5. Yemen Launches Restoration Project of Qishleh Building in Saada
Honorable Mention:
1. Mysterious Mountain Dino May be a New Species (Biology News)
Today's Top 5:
1. Monumental Debt-for-Nature Swap Provides $20 Million to Protect Biodiversity in Madagascar
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612170515.htm
ScienceDaily
Jun. 14, 2008
The largest debt-for-nature swap agreement in Madagascar’s history was just signed between the Government of Madagascar and the Government of France, allocating roughly $20 million (13 million Euros) to preserve Madagascar’s rich biodiversity, WWF has announced.
“This initiative is an excellent example of innovative financing for sustainable development,” said Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, acting regional representative for WWF in Madagascar. “Increasing funding to the endowment of the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity means support for the protected areas' recurrent costs will be available long term. Stable and predictable revenues are critical to win the battle against deforestation and biodiversity loss in Madagascar.”
The new agreement is part of Madagascar’s ambitious national effort, pledged by President Ravalomanana, to triple the size of the country’s protected areas. The funds will be managed through the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity—a conservation trust fund established by WWF, Conservation International and the Government of Madagascar to support the country’s distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife. With this agreement, the fund has reached its endowment target of $50 million.
Nearly 98 percent of Madagascar’s land mammals, 92 percent of its reptiles, and 80 percent of its plants are found nowhere else on earth. WWF has been active in Madagascar for more than three decades, providing local communities with the support necessary to manage natural resources effectively. Madagascar’s ecosystems provide essential services that support local communities and an array of economic activities. WWF’s vision is to protect, restore and maintain Madagascar’s unique biodiversity in harmony with the culture and livelihoods of the people who live there.
With 70 percent of Madagascar’s population living below the poverty line, the country is one of the poorest in the world. Burdened with high levels of debt, Madagascar has limited domestic resources to address environmental degradation and preserve its unique and globally significant biodiversity. Debt-for-nature swaps, such as this one, are designed to free up resources in debtor countries for much needed conservation activities.
This historic agreement demonstrates the commitment of both the French and Malagasy governments to protect biodiversity in Madagascar and serves as a prime example of a debt-for-nature swap success that other nations can follow.
About the Madagascar Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity
The Madagascar Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity was created in 2005 to support sustainable financing for protecting, maintaining and expanding Madagascar’s protected areas network, including certain buffer zones and ecological corridors, and ultimately to reduce the dependence on external project assistance. The Foundation is already widely recognized as a “model” foundation for Africa and an anchor for sustainable financing of Madagascar’s protected areas system.
As a founding partner, WWF has contributed to the Foundation’s capital and has played a leading role in establishing its legal and operational framework according to the best practices and the highest international standards for environmental funds.
2. U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Charity Rowers
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL1459154220080614?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:47pm BST
(Reuters) - Four Britons attempting to row across the Atlantic for charity have been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their boat capsized, British officials said.
The 29-foot boat of rowers Chris Jenkins, Tim Garrent, Wayne Davey and Joby Newton capsized 420 nautical miles east of Cape Cod early on Saturday, while the men were in the boat's two cabins.
"The crew have been taken aboard the Gulf Grace at 8 a.m. -- we understand all are relatively safe and well, but suffering slight hypothermia," British coastguards said in a statement.
The Britons had been attempting to row from New York to the Isles of Scilly to try to break the record of 55 days set in 1896 by George Harboe and Frank Samuelson on a route that has only been successfully completed six times.
The four men, who had been expected to each burn around 10,000 calories a day rowing two hours on, two hours off, day and night, had so raised nearly 75,000 pounds for four different charities after leaving New York on June 1.
(Reporting by John Joseph; Editing by Alison Williams)
3. 1780 British Warship Found in Lake
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/1780+british+warship+found+in+lake/2286357
Last Modified: 14 Jun 2008
A 22-gun British warship that sank during the American Revolution and has long been regarded as one of the "Holy Grail" shipwrecks in the Great Lakes has been discovered at the bottom of Lake Ontario.
HMS Ontario was astonishingly well-preserved in the cold, deep water, explorers said.
Shipwreck enthusiasts Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville used side-scanning sonar and an unmanned submersible to locate the ship, which was lost with barely a trace and as many as 130 people aboard during a gale in 1780.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
4. Dollar Rises Most Since 2005 as Bernanke Cites Reduced Risk
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aODhO7EgV6SE
By Bo Nielsen
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose the most against the euro since 2005 as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said economic risks have faded, raising speculation policy makers will increase borrowing costs this year to contain inflation.
The greenback rose to a one-month high this week as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson declined to rule out intervention to support the dollar and U.S. retail sales increased in May twice as much as economists forecast. Group of Eight finance ministers meeting today in Japan stuck to their practice of not making a joint comment on currencies when central bankers are absent from the talks.
``Risks to U.S. growth have been reduced, and the market is now thinking the Fed will hike in August,'' said Meg Browne, a senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York. ``That's a big shift, and the effect on the dollar was positive.''
The dollar increased 2.5 percent to $1.5380 per euro, from $1.5778 on June 6. It touched $1.5303, the strongest level since May 8. The U.S. currency rose 3 percent to 108.19 against the yen, from 104.93, and touched 108.38, the highest since Feb. 14. It was the biggest gain since December 2004. Japan's currency fell for a fifth consecutive week against the euro, decreasing 0.6 percent to 166.35, from 165.64. It's the longest stretch of gains since October.
``We've seen a very sharp reversal of sentiment about the dollar,'' said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency research at Wells Fargo & Co. in New York. ``The U.S. economy seems reasonably resilient, and the Fed is beginning to look hawkish.''
Chinese Yuan
The Chinese yuan rose for a second consecutive week versus the dollar, increasing 0.3 percent to 6.9022, on speculation policy makers are seeking a stronger currency to control inflation. The U.S. wants China to keep allowing its currency to rise against the dollar and will discuss that stance in talks next week in Maryland, said Alan Holmer, the U.S. Treasury's top China negotiator, in a briefing in Washington yesterday.
The Australian dollar fell 2.6 percent this week against its U.S. counterpart, the biggest decline in almost three months, and the New Zealand currency declined 2.4 percent, for its third consecutive weekly decrease. Traders speculated an increase in U.S. interest rates will narrow the yield advantage of Australian and New Zealand debt.
Fed funds futures on the Chicago Board of Trade show a 60 percent chance the U.S. central bank will increase the 2 percent target lending rate by at least a quarter-percentage point at its August meeting, compared with 9 percent odds a week ago. There are 21 percent odds policy makers will lift the rate to 3 percent by December.
Yield Spread
The yield advantage of a two-year German bund over a comparable Treasury note fell to 1.58 percentage points, making dollar-denominated assets more attractive. The difference was 2.26 percentage points on June 6, the widest since 1993.
``People are getting ahead of themselves'' betting on Fed rate increases, said David Powell, a currency strategist at Bank of America Corp. in New York. ``The dollar is a bit overshot at this stage.'' He predicted the Fed will raise borrowing costs to 2.25 percent this year.
U.S. retail sales increased 1 percent in May, following a revised 0.4 percent advance the prior month, the Commerce Department reported on June 12. Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent last month after a 0.2 percent increase in April, the Labor Department reported yesterday in Washington.
``The risk that the economy has entered a substantial downturn appears to have diminished,'' Bernanke said in a speech at a Boston Fed conference on June 9. ``The Federal Open Market Committee will strongly resist an erosion of longer-term inflation expectations.''
Bernanke on Currency
Bernanke said on June 3 that he's aware of the impact a falling currency can have on price expectations. Paulson said in an interview with CNBC on June 9 that he would ``never'' rule out currency intervention.
The 15-nation euro weakened yesterday as Irish voters turned down the European Union's new governing treaty, a setback for the bloc's plans to strengthen its global voice.
Paulson and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde spoke in favor of a strong dollar at the Group of Eight meeting.
``A strong dollar is in our nation's interest,'' Paulson said. Lagarde said she was ``happy to hear'' that view. Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga said intervention in the currency market wasn't discussed by the G-8 ministers.
The last time the major industrialized countries intervened was on Sept. 22, 2000, when they bought the euro after it tumbled 27 percent from its 1999 debut. They last propped up the dollar in 1995, when it sank almost 20 percent in four months against the Japanese yen to a post-World War II low of 79.95. Central banks intervene in currency markets by arranging purchases or sales of foreign exchange.
The yen weakened this week after Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and his six colleagues left the overnight lending rate at 0.5 percent, the lowest among major economies, in a unanimous vote in Tokyo.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bo Nielsen in New York at bnielsen4@bloomberg.net
5. Yemen Launches Restoration Project of Qishleh Building in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news156626.htm
[14 June 2008]
SAADA, June 14 (Saba)- Governor of Saada Hassen Mana'a laid down on Saturday foundation stone for final phase of the Restoration Project of al-Qishleh Building, one of the most important historical monuments and archaeological cite of Saada at a cost of 25 million Riyals funded by the local council in province.
The governor said that al-Qishleh is one of the most important tourist attractions and destinations to attract a lot of tourists during their visit to the city of Saada which is located at the top of a hill at the center of the city.
It is one of the most prominent historical monuments and archaeological sites in Saada governorate.
SA/AM
Saba
Honorable Mention:
1. Mysterious Mountain Dino May be a New Species
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/06/12/mysterious_mountain_dino_may_be_a_new_species.html
June 12, 2008 06:18 PM Biology
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This composite shows what bones were found and what the Sustut dinosaur may have looked like 70 million years ago. A partial dinosaur skeleton unearthed in 1971 from a remote British Columbia site is the first ever found in Canadian mountains and may represent a new species, according to a recent examination by a University of Alberta researcher.
Researcher Victoria Arbour explores bones of a mysterious dinosaur found in the Canadian mountains. Discovered by a geologist in the Sustut Basin of north-central British Columbia 37 years ago, the bones, which are about 70 million years old, were tucked away until being donated to Dalhousie University in 2004 and assigned to then-undergraduate student Victoria Arbour to research as an honours project. She soon realized that the bones were a rare find: they are very well-preserved and are the most complete dinosaur specimen found in B.C. to date. They are also the first bones found in B.C.'s Skeena mountain range.
"There are similarities with two other kinds of dinosaurs, although there's also an arm bone we've never seen before. The Sustut dinosaur may be a new species, but we won't know for sure until more fossils can be found," said Arbour, who finished researching the bones while studying for her master's degree at the University of Alberta. "It's very distinct from other dinosaurs that were found at the same time in southern Alberta."
The seven shin, arm, toe and possible skull bones were found nestled in a dip between mountains in the Skeena range, and while the fragments resemble those from a small two-legged, plant-eating dinosaur, the rest of the creature's identity is a mystery, Arbour says.
The fossils are currently in the collection of the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria and Arbour hopes to lead a U of A team to the site for future investigation.
My husband arrived 2 nights ago. I'm so happy that he's finally here. Unfortunately for all of you, that means I am devoting much less time to the news. However, my husband fully supports my news blog, and I did find some articles for you today. :)
I hope you enjoy.
Today's Top 5:
1. Monumental Debt-for-Nature Swap Provides $20 Million to Protect Biodiversity in Madagascar (Science Daily)
2. US Coast Guard Rescues Charity Rowers (UK Reuters)
3. 1780 British Warship Found in Lake (Channel 14 News)
4. Dollar Rises Most Since 2005 as Bernanke Cites Reduced (Bloomberg)
5. Yemen Launches Restoration Project of Qishleh Building in Saada
Honorable Mention:
1. Mysterious Mountain Dino May be a New Species (Biology News)
Today's Top 5:
1. Monumental Debt-for-Nature Swap Provides $20 Million to Protect Biodiversity in Madagascar
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612170515.htm
ScienceDaily
Jun. 14, 2008
The largest debt-for-nature swap agreement in Madagascar’s history was just signed between the Government of Madagascar and the Government of France, allocating roughly $20 million (13 million Euros) to preserve Madagascar’s rich biodiversity, WWF has announced.
“This initiative is an excellent example of innovative financing for sustainable development,” said Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, acting regional representative for WWF in Madagascar. “Increasing funding to the endowment of the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity means support for the protected areas' recurrent costs will be available long term. Stable and predictable revenues are critical to win the battle against deforestation and biodiversity loss in Madagascar.”
The new agreement is part of Madagascar’s ambitious national effort, pledged by President Ravalomanana, to triple the size of the country’s protected areas. The funds will be managed through the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity—a conservation trust fund established by WWF, Conservation International and the Government of Madagascar to support the country’s distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife. With this agreement, the fund has reached its endowment target of $50 million.
Nearly 98 percent of Madagascar’s land mammals, 92 percent of its reptiles, and 80 percent of its plants are found nowhere else on earth. WWF has been active in Madagascar for more than three decades, providing local communities with the support necessary to manage natural resources effectively. Madagascar’s ecosystems provide essential services that support local communities and an array of economic activities. WWF’s vision is to protect, restore and maintain Madagascar’s unique biodiversity in harmony with the culture and livelihoods of the people who live there.
With 70 percent of Madagascar’s population living below the poverty line, the country is one of the poorest in the world. Burdened with high levels of debt, Madagascar has limited domestic resources to address environmental degradation and preserve its unique and globally significant biodiversity. Debt-for-nature swaps, such as this one, are designed to free up resources in debtor countries for much needed conservation activities.
This historic agreement demonstrates the commitment of both the French and Malagasy governments to protect biodiversity in Madagascar and serves as a prime example of a debt-for-nature swap success that other nations can follow.
About the Madagascar Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity
The Madagascar Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity was created in 2005 to support sustainable financing for protecting, maintaining and expanding Madagascar’s protected areas network, including certain buffer zones and ecological corridors, and ultimately to reduce the dependence on external project assistance. The Foundation is already widely recognized as a “model” foundation for Africa and an anchor for sustainable financing of Madagascar’s protected areas system.
As a founding partner, WWF has contributed to the Foundation’s capital and has played a leading role in establishing its legal and operational framework according to the best practices and the highest international standards for environmental funds.
2. U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Charity Rowers
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL1459154220080614?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:47pm BST
(Reuters) - Four Britons attempting to row across the Atlantic for charity have been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after their boat capsized, British officials said.
The 29-foot boat of rowers Chris Jenkins, Tim Garrent, Wayne Davey and Joby Newton capsized 420 nautical miles east of Cape Cod early on Saturday, while the men were in the boat's two cabins.
"The crew have been taken aboard the Gulf Grace at 8 a.m. -- we understand all are relatively safe and well, but suffering slight hypothermia," British coastguards said in a statement.
The Britons had been attempting to row from New York to the Isles of Scilly to try to break the record of 55 days set in 1896 by George Harboe and Frank Samuelson on a route that has only been successfully completed six times.
The four men, who had been expected to each burn around 10,000 calories a day rowing two hours on, two hours off, day and night, had so raised nearly 75,000 pounds for four different charities after leaving New York on June 1.
(Reporting by John Joseph; Editing by Alison Williams)
3. 1780 British Warship Found in Lake
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/1780+british+warship+found+in+lake/2286357
Last Modified: 14 Jun 2008
A 22-gun British warship that sank during the American Revolution and has long been regarded as one of the "Holy Grail" shipwrecks in the Great Lakes has been discovered at the bottom of Lake Ontario.
HMS Ontario was astonishingly well-preserved in the cold, deep water, explorers said.
Shipwreck enthusiasts Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville used side-scanning sonar and an unmanned submersible to locate the ship, which was lost with barely a trace and as many as 130 people aboard during a gale in 1780.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
4. Dollar Rises Most Since 2005 as Bernanke Cites Reduced Risk
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aODhO7EgV6SE
By Bo Nielsen
June 14 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose the most against the euro since 2005 as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said economic risks have faded, raising speculation policy makers will increase borrowing costs this year to contain inflation.
The greenback rose to a one-month high this week as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson declined to rule out intervention to support the dollar and U.S. retail sales increased in May twice as much as economists forecast. Group of Eight finance ministers meeting today in Japan stuck to their practice of not making a joint comment on currencies when central bankers are absent from the talks.
``Risks to U.S. growth have been reduced, and the market is now thinking the Fed will hike in August,'' said Meg Browne, a senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York. ``That's a big shift, and the effect on the dollar was positive.''
The dollar increased 2.5 percent to $1.5380 per euro, from $1.5778 on June 6. It touched $1.5303, the strongest level since May 8. The U.S. currency rose 3 percent to 108.19 against the yen, from 104.93, and touched 108.38, the highest since Feb. 14. It was the biggest gain since December 2004. Japan's currency fell for a fifth consecutive week against the euro, decreasing 0.6 percent to 166.35, from 165.64. It's the longest stretch of gains since October.
``We've seen a very sharp reversal of sentiment about the dollar,'' said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency research at Wells Fargo & Co. in New York. ``The U.S. economy seems reasonably resilient, and the Fed is beginning to look hawkish.''
Chinese Yuan
The Chinese yuan rose for a second consecutive week versus the dollar, increasing 0.3 percent to 6.9022, on speculation policy makers are seeking a stronger currency to control inflation. The U.S. wants China to keep allowing its currency to rise against the dollar and will discuss that stance in talks next week in Maryland, said Alan Holmer, the U.S. Treasury's top China negotiator, in a briefing in Washington yesterday.
The Australian dollar fell 2.6 percent this week against its U.S. counterpart, the biggest decline in almost three months, and the New Zealand currency declined 2.4 percent, for its third consecutive weekly decrease. Traders speculated an increase in U.S. interest rates will narrow the yield advantage of Australian and New Zealand debt.
Fed funds futures on the Chicago Board of Trade show a 60 percent chance the U.S. central bank will increase the 2 percent target lending rate by at least a quarter-percentage point at its August meeting, compared with 9 percent odds a week ago. There are 21 percent odds policy makers will lift the rate to 3 percent by December.
Yield Spread
The yield advantage of a two-year German bund over a comparable Treasury note fell to 1.58 percentage points, making dollar-denominated assets more attractive. The difference was 2.26 percentage points on June 6, the widest since 1993.
``People are getting ahead of themselves'' betting on Fed rate increases, said David Powell, a currency strategist at Bank of America Corp. in New York. ``The dollar is a bit overshot at this stage.'' He predicted the Fed will raise borrowing costs to 2.25 percent this year.
U.S. retail sales increased 1 percent in May, following a revised 0.4 percent advance the prior month, the Commerce Department reported on June 12. Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent last month after a 0.2 percent increase in April, the Labor Department reported yesterday in Washington.
``The risk that the economy has entered a substantial downturn appears to have diminished,'' Bernanke said in a speech at a Boston Fed conference on June 9. ``The Federal Open Market Committee will strongly resist an erosion of longer-term inflation expectations.''
Bernanke on Currency
Bernanke said on June 3 that he's aware of the impact a falling currency can have on price expectations. Paulson said in an interview with CNBC on June 9 that he would ``never'' rule out currency intervention.
The 15-nation euro weakened yesterday as Irish voters turned down the European Union's new governing treaty, a setback for the bloc's plans to strengthen its global voice.
Paulson and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde spoke in favor of a strong dollar at the Group of Eight meeting.
``A strong dollar is in our nation's interest,'' Paulson said. Lagarde said she was ``happy to hear'' that view. Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga said intervention in the currency market wasn't discussed by the G-8 ministers.
The last time the major industrialized countries intervened was on Sept. 22, 2000, when they bought the euro after it tumbled 27 percent from its 1999 debut. They last propped up the dollar in 1995, when it sank almost 20 percent in four months against the Japanese yen to a post-World War II low of 79.95. Central banks intervene in currency markets by arranging purchases or sales of foreign exchange.
The yen weakened this week after Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and his six colleagues left the overnight lending rate at 0.5 percent, the lowest among major economies, in a unanimous vote in Tokyo.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bo Nielsen in New York at bnielsen4@bloomberg.net
5. Yemen Launches Restoration Project of Qishleh Building in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news156626.htm
[14 June 2008]
SAADA, June 14 (Saba)- Governor of Saada Hassen Mana'a laid down on Saturday foundation stone for final phase of the Restoration Project of al-Qishleh Building, one of the most important historical monuments and archaeological cite of Saada at a cost of 25 million Riyals funded by the local council in province.
The governor said that al-Qishleh is one of the most important tourist attractions and destinations to attract a lot of tourists during their visit to the city of Saada which is located at the top of a hill at the center of the city.
It is one of the most prominent historical monuments and archaeological sites in Saada governorate.
SA/AM
Saba
Honorable Mention:
1. Mysterious Mountain Dino May be a New Species
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/06/12/mysterious_mountain_dino_may_be_a_new_species.html
June 12, 2008 06:18 PM Biology
Previous article: Even before tomato warning, many Americans lacked confidence in the food safety system
Next article: Threatened or invasive? Species' fates identified
Add Comment Mail to a Friend Link to this article Print Article
This composite shows what bones were found and what the Sustut dinosaur may have looked like 70 million years ago. A partial dinosaur skeleton unearthed in 1971 from a remote British Columbia site is the first ever found in Canadian mountains and may represent a new species, according to a recent examination by a University of Alberta researcher.
Researcher Victoria Arbour explores bones of a mysterious dinosaur found in the Canadian mountains. Discovered by a geologist in the Sustut Basin of north-central British Columbia 37 years ago, the bones, which are about 70 million years old, were tucked away until being donated to Dalhousie University in 2004 and assigned to then-undergraduate student Victoria Arbour to research as an honours project. She soon realized that the bones were a rare find: they are very well-preserved and are the most complete dinosaur specimen found in B.C. to date. They are also the first bones found in B.C.'s Skeena mountain range.
"There are similarities with two other kinds of dinosaurs, although there's also an arm bone we've never seen before. The Sustut dinosaur may be a new species, but we won't know for sure until more fossils can be found," said Arbour, who finished researching the bones while studying for her master's degree at the University of Alberta. "It's very distinct from other dinosaurs that were found at the same time in southern Alberta."
The seven shin, arm, toe and possible skull bones were found nestled in a dip between mountains in the Skeena range, and while the fragments resemble those from a small two-legged, plant-eating dinosaur, the rest of the creature's identity is a mystery, Arbour says.
The fossils are currently in the collection of the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria and Arbour hopes to lead a U of A team to the site for future investigation.
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